The UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Emma Reynolds, and the French Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Annie Genevard, met in Paris to discuss food security, agricultural resilience, and the future of agri-food trade between the UK, France, and the EU. They emphasized the importance of strong domestic agricultural production to ensure safe, sustainable, and affordable food amid geopolitical instability, climate change, and global supply chain pressures.
The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to high standards of animal and plant health, robust biosecurity, and sustainable farming, while supporting technical engagement on market access issues aligned with WOAH standards and EU regulations. They discussed progress on a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to simplify trade, reduce administrative burdens, and provide long-term certainty for producers and retailers while maintaining high sanitary standards.
In the context of France’s G7 Presidency and the UK’s upcoming G20 and G7 Presidencies, both countries highlighted their intention to maintain close coordination on agricultural and food system resilience. They also expressed a shared goal to deepen Franco-British cooperation in agricultural and food policy to support farmers, rural communities, and consumers in both nations.
