Fresh Brexit boost as landmark £240million dairy and potato deal signed with China
Trade Secretary Liam Fox signed two fresh deals with Beijing as part of trade talks - bringing British products over to China
CHIPS and crisps could soon be on more menus across China after Liam Fox signed a bumper trade deal to sell them more British potatoes.
In another fresh Brexit boost today, the Trade Secretary signed off on a new deal to sell seed potatoes, cream, yogurt and milk powder with are grown or made in the UK.
The dairy deal is worth an estimated £240million over five years for the industry - as demand continues to grow for it in China.
And China is the largest global consumer of potatoes in the world, and the humble spud now the fourth biggest staple crop.
Dr Fox said today: "The rapidly-growing Chinese market offers huge potential for UK farmers.
"According to research by Barclays, around 60% of people in China would actually pay more for a product, just because they knew it was British."
Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said today: "This milestone will help to unlock the UK food and drink industry’s full potential forging new trading relationships around the globe.
"This step shows we can be a truly outward looking Britain outside the European Union."
And experts said there would be a boosted demand for crisps and chips as a result of the new deals.
Around 10,000 British businesses sell their goods to China at the moment, and ministers hope to boost this as we get ready to leave the EU and sign a fresh round of trade deals with other countries.
The news comes just months after Theresa May made a visit there earlier this year, which led to the end of a 20-year ban on imports of UK beef.
She signed a string of agreements worth £9.3billion pounds - creating more than 2,500 jobs in the UK.