A trade deal between the U.S. and United Kingdom is expected to increase U.S. agricultural exports by $250 million a year, benefiting farmers and ranchers, according to the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the agreement on May 8, the 80th anniversary of V-E Day, the end of World War II in Europe.

The timing was happenstance, but appropriate, Trump said. The agreement will bring the economies of the wartime allies closer together, he said.

“We really don’t have the kind of access that I would have thought. I was surprised,” Trump said, speaking at the White House.

“The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol and virtually all of the products produced by our great farmers,” Trump said.

Trump and Starmer said details of the deal are still being worked out.

“Yes, we can finish ironing out some of the details, but there’s a fantastic platform here,” Starmer said.

The agreement will open the opportunity for the U.S. to sell more farm goods to the U.K. by lowering tariffs and ending “non-science based standards,” according to the White House.

“I don’t know if there’s an industry that has been treated more unfairly and has suffered more than our industry,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said.

The U.S. exported $2.1 billion worth of farm goods to the UK in 2024, making it the 13th largest export market, according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

Exports of cereals, fruits, vegetables and animal feed are anticipated to increase, according to the White House. Ethanol and beef are expected to be big winners.

“This is going to exponentially increase our beef exports.” Rollins said.

The U.S. exports little beef to the UK because of tariffs and restrictions on hormone-fed cattle.

“With this trade deal, President Trump has delivered a tremendous win for American family farmers and ranchers,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Buck Wehrbein, a Nebraska cattleman. “For years, American cattle producers have seen the United Kingdom as an ideal partner for trade.”

Taking questions from the media, Trump was twice asked about whether the U.S. would force the U.K. to change its food-safety regulations.

Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. may move the U.S. closer to U.K. standards, Trump said. “I think he’s probably heading toward your system, with no chemicals, no this, no that,” he said.

Rollins, standing near Trump, jumped in.

“To be very clear, American beef is the safest, the best quality and the crown jewel of American agriculture for the world,” she said.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S. and U.K. will discuss food safety and respect each others’ rules.

“Our point is the rules need to make sure they are based on science, and that’s our expectation,” he said. “We know the U.K. believes that, too, so we want to come to an accommodation. We want the consumers in both countries to choose what they want.”

Trump said the U.S. will be able to supply whatever beef the U.K. wants. “We’re a very big country. We have a lot of beef,” he said.

The U.K.’s National Farmers Union, the self-described “Voice of British Farming,” was cool to the agreement. U.K. beef will have increased access to the U.S., but U.S. ethanol could cut into profits of U.K. growers, the group said.

The trade deal is the first agreement to be announced since Trump imposed across-the-board 10% tariffs. The 10% tariff on U.K. goods will stay.

“This DEAL shows that if you respect America, and bring serious proposals to the table, America is OPEN FOR BUSINESS. Many more to come — STAY TUNED!” Trump said on social media.