On Friday 4th October, G's welcomed Daniel Zeichner MP, Minister of State for DEFRA, Matthew Palmer, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission at Embassy London and Anita Katial U.S. Counsellor for Agricultural Affairs, to G's Growers Cambridgeshire, where the officials met with the G's team to discuss the opportunities for UK farming and explore areas to deepen collaboration with the United States. The visit was predicated by the announcement of raw table beetroot export access to the United States that was published at the end of September 2024.
Matthew Palmer and Daniel Zeichner.
Discussions ranged from the opportunity for the beetroot announcement to act as a roadmap for future export access for UK crops such as celery and radish. Minister for Food Security Daniel Zeichner said, "It was a pleasure to visit G's Growers to see their farming operations up close and how they will benefit from access to the US beetroot market. This government was elected on a mandate to support the UK's farmers through trade deals, and will work tirelessly over the coming weeks and months to back them and get our food exports moving again."
U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Palmer congratulated Minister Zeichner on his appointment as Minister of State to DEFRA. DCM Palmer stated, "there are incredible opportunities and valuable benefits for U.S. and UK agriculture when we work together on increasing market access for our products on both sides of the pond."
The Minister and officials also toured the G's organic beetroot farming and harvesting operations to see first-hand the opportunities for UK farming. The visit then moved on to G's Grower, Greens Farming Ltd, to see the beetroot grading and storage operations and the beetroot that could now potentially be shipped to G's Love Beets processing plant in Rochester, New York.
John Shropshire, Chairman of G's Group, thanked Minister Zeichner and the U.S. officials for their support in ensuring beetroot was one of the first agricultural products to benefit from the new export access to the U.S. market. "G's has worked closely with growers in the United States for almost 60 years, co-operating to learn and share best practice farming innovations and ideas. In 2010 G's put down roots in the United States with the development of the Love Beets beetroot brand, which is today sold in every state. G's commitment to the U.S. market was further enhanced with the construction of our own beetroot processing plant in Rochester, New York in 2016. This access agreement provides a tangible example in how UK and U.S. food production can benefit from cooperation in agricultural trade by supplying raw beetroot from the UK to the Rochester plant when U.S. grown beets are not as readily available."
For more information:
Anthony Gardiner
G's Growers
Tel: +44 07802 379557
[email protected]