The strategic importance and economic value of the British food and farming industry must not be overlooked in the Brexit discussions to come, the NFU has said today after it published new Defra figures as part of its State of the Farming Economy report.

The data has shown that the contribution of the agri-food sector to the national economy increased from £113 billion to nearly £122bn in 2017, and that UK food and drink exports increased by 2.5% to £22.6bn in 2018.

There are also even more people now employed in the UK agri-food sector, with the number surpassing four million.

NFU president Minette Batters said: “Defra’s latest figures reinforce the importance of the British food and farming industry both nationally and globally, and its value must not be forgotten as we head back into Brexit discussions.

“Farming is the bedrock of the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, food and drink, which provides the nation and wider world with safe, traceable and affordable food produced to world-leading animal welfare, environmental and food safety standards.”

“Given farming’s value to the UK economy and the huge number of people it employs, we must ensure that food and farming in Britain is at the forefront of Brexit negotiations when the House of Commons returns and talks begin again in earnest.”