The UK can become a world leading agricultural exporting powerhouse. Here’s how.
For all the talk of “Global Britain,” do we ever really ask what we can actually sell to the world? What could our comparative advantages be in a changing global economy?
While financial services and tech are major strengths and clearly do matter, you can’t eat asset management or data services. British food and farming are some of our most undervalued opportunities. The UK has a unique opportunity to position itself as a world-leading agricultural powerhouse, a country that takes inclusive growth, resilience and food security seriously.
If we adapt the right lessons from the Netherlands and New Zealand -two nations that successfully transformed their agricultural sectors into global exporting success stories- we too could reimagine farming as a strategic, export-led industry central to our future prosperity and at the heart of a decade of national renewal.
From crisis to reinvention
The Netherlands and New Zealand did not become agricultural giants overnight. Both countries were driven by necessity, having to confront very different shocks that forced them to rethink their agricultural sectors. They ultimately emerged stronger, smarter and far more outward-looking.
The Dutch turning point was immediately after the Second World War, when the country faced famine. After the Hunger Winter of 1944-1945, when over 20 000 people died of starvation, the Netherlands actively made agriculture a long-term national mission.
For New Zealand the major readjustment occurred in the 1980s, when a Labour government removed almost all agricultural subsidies. This bold decision was taken as part of a series of wide ranging economic reforms following a deep economic crisis, when New Zealand went from the world’s 6th most wealthy country per capita in 1965 to 19th in 1980.
Punching above their weight
What’s the reality for these countries now? Both are recognised as global food producing leaders and major international exporters. Despite its small size (just over 16 000 square miles), the Netherlands has become the second-biggest agricultural exporter in the world: last year alone, Dutch agricultural exports totalled nearly €129 billion.
New Zealand, a country of just over 5 million people -a population about twelve times smaller than the UK- is now the world’s largest exporter of dairy products (including 4 % of the world’s entire butter production and one-third of global production of whole milk powder), in addition to producing high-value horticulture.
Both countries show that agricultural excellence doesn’t depend on size or distance from foreign markets. What makes both the Netherlands and New Zealand punch above their weight comes down to vision, strategy and confidence.
How was this achieved?
How did these countries achieve such an outsized role in global agriculture relative to their size? The Netherlands’ success comes from relentless research-driven innovation, while New Zealand’s is the result of specialisation combined with an export-driven mindset.
The Dutch model: The Netherlands successfully built an entire ecosystem of collaboration around Wageningen University, regarded as the MIT or Silicon Valley of agriculture. Research isn’t confined to academic journals: instead, breakthroughs in precision farming, greenhouse technology, and logistics flow directly from the lab bench to fields, greenhouses and markets. Successive Dutch governments have formed strong agrifood partnerships with research institutions and businesses (known as the ‘Triple Helix or ‘Dutch Diamond’) investing in regenerative agriculture, sustainable food production and agrifood system research.
The New Zealand model: Despite still having some of the lowest levels of government support among OECD countries, New Zealand’s farmers have thrived in global markets. They specialise in what they do best (grass-fed meat and dairy, organic kiwifruit, wine), positioning themselves as world-leading providers of clean, green and premium products. Crucially, New Zealand has developed an export-first mindset: the country’s trade policy, branding, and farmer cooperatives are all geared towards making New Zealand food trusted and desirable on international markets.
What can the UK do?
These lessons from abroad show that we have a genuine national opportunity here in the UK. If we treat food and farming not as a legacy industry, but as a strategic, export-led sector central to our economic renewal, the country has the potential to become a world leading agricultural exporting powerhouse.
1. Champion research-driven productivity and sustainability
The UK already boasts world-class expertise in agricultural science, from the UK AgriTech Centre and the John Innes Centre to Harper Adams University, City St George’s Centre for Food Policy and Nottingham University’s Food Systems Institute. Inspired by the Dutch Diamond model, government, research institutions and industry should work in unison to accelerate innovation in soil health, fertilisers, genetics and low-carbon farming.
2. Leverage new gene editing legislation as a competitive advantage
The UK’s Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act offers a clear edge over much of the EU, where progress on plant breeding innovation still remains constrained. With the right regulatory framework and public engagement, the UK could become a global centre in responsible genetic innovation, developing crops that are climate-resilient, disease-resistant and have higher yields.
3. Treat our natural fertiliser resources as national assets
Our polyhalite reserves in Yorkshire are among the world’s largest sources of natural, multi-nutrient fertiliser. Treated as a national strategic asset, they could underpin an entire new era of sustainable fertiliser production, reducing import dependency and strengthening global supply resilience.
4. Create a coherent national mission
To achieve our agrifood potential, policy, research and trade have to be aligned into a unified and long-term mission. A National Food and Farming Strategy would provide the stability and vision needed to outlast ministerial cycles, as well as linking climate goals, research funding and export ambitions within a single, enduring framework.
5. Think globally
The future of UK agriculture can lie not just in feeding ourselves, but in providing the world with healthy and sustainable food. By building “Brand Britain” around safety, sustainability and quality, we can position UK food as ethical, traceable and premium. With coordinated trade policy, targeted export support and a confident global narrative, the UK can become synonymous with trust and excellence in food -just as the Netherlands and New Zealand have done in their own ways.
If we choose to think boldly, invest strategically, and act with purpose, our country can become a global leader in agricultural innovation and exports. This is not a nostalgic return to the past, but a forward-looking vision of national renewal, where the strengths of British farming and food production become defining symbols of our future and our place in the world.
This article was co-written with Dr Alan Bullion and was originally published in October 2025 on Labour Home.
