Trade Agreements: USA
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 53718 on Trade Agreements: USA, whether the sugar beet farming industry will be impacted by the UK-US trade deal on ethanol.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The landmark economic deal with the United States announced on 8 May protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK. For the first time ever, this deal will also open up exclusive access for UK beef farmers to the US market.
Other than beef and ethanol, no access has been offered to US farmers into the UK market. The Government is engaging closely with the bioethanol industry to find a way forward. The Secretary of State of Department of Business and Trade has met with the affected companies and officials from his department continue to work with the industry.
Sugar beet used in biofuel production is predominantly derived from sugar beet betaine residue, a waste by-product of processing. UK-sourced bioethanol from beet represents a very small proportion of the total ethanol supplied to the UK. Department for Transport data indicates that 1,406 million litres equivalent of ethanol were supplied to the UK in 2022/23, of which 49 million litres was produced from UK beet - a very small share (less 4% of the total).
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