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 agri-food trade between the UK, France, and the EU.
According to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the ministers underlined the strategic importance of maintaining strong domestic agricultural production to guarantee access to safe, sustainable and affordable food.
Defra said: “In a context marked by geopolitical instability, climate change and pressure on global supply chains, food security forms an integral part of national and European security.
“A competitive, innovative and resilient agricultural sector is essential to this objective.”
The ministers reaffirmed their shared commitment to high standards of animal and plant health, robust biosecurity and sustainable farming practices.
Here, they welcomed constructive technical engagement on specific market access issues and emphasised the importance of measures based on World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards, as well as EU regulations that protect domestic herds and flocks while facilitating trade.
The ministers also discussed progress towards a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement, established in the May 2025 UK-EU Common Understanding.
“An ambitious and durable agreement would simplify trade, reduce administrative burdens and provide long-term certainty for producers and retailers on both sides of the Channel, while ensuring a high level of sanitary standards,” Defra said.
According to Defra, the ministers also noted a “strong consensus for the swift conclusion of negotiations as well as for the timely resolution of market access issues”.
In relation to France’s G7 Presidency and the UK’s forthcoming G20 and G7 Presidencies, the ministers reaffirmed their intention to maintain close coordination on agriculture and food system resilience.
The UK Secretary of State and the French minister expressed their shared wish to deepen Franco-British cooperation in agricultural and food policy in the months ahead, in support of farmers, rural communities and consumers in both countries.
