UK and Germany Issue Joint Statement on Agricultural Cooperation Ahead of November 20 UK-EU Summit
UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Dame Angela Eagle and Germany's Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Regional Identity Alois Rainer met in London on October 29, 2026, and their joint statement was published on November 13. The two agreed to deepen cooperation on agricultural resilience, food security and trade under the UK-Germany Kensington Treaty, the friendship and bilateral cooperation treaty ratified in Berlin on October 8, 2026.
The statement said both countries look forward to the UK-EU summit on November 20, 2026, where a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement between the UK and the EU is expected to be finalised to simplify trade and reduce burdens on agri-food businesses. Eagle estimated that simplifying plant-trade processes alone could save businesses around GBP 60 million a year in inspection and certification costs; that figure is a UK estimate and the agreement is not yet in force.
The two countries also reaffirmed cooperation on animal-disease control, agricultural research and sustainable farming. Specific projects and the final SPS text will follow in later official announcements. (Source: UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs)
Source: UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：德国外交部大楼（柏林，资料图）。照片：Андрей Романенко，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / German Foreign Ministry in Berlin (file photo). Photo by Андрей Романенко, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
