The trade war between the United States and Europe is now fully engaged, with tariffs and tempers rising on both sides.

The United Kingdom, however, enjoys a remarkable opportunity to take advantage of a unique political moment: At a time when many country’s trade ties to the US appear to become more challenging, the UK’s could be different.

A new UK-US trade pact may come “very quickly,” said President Donald Trump last month, when he met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Early signs are positive. Last week, top officials from our two governments discussed the possibility of a bilateral trade agreement—and the UK’s Department for Business and Trade and the America’s Department of Commerce released statements that promised more to come.

As a farmer in the UK, I find myself concerned but with some optimism by this prospect because it has the potential to provide economic clarity: We’ll receive clear signals about future markets, allowing us to adapt to changing circumstances and prepare for the future.

Four years ago, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, a farmer-led group in the UK, released a study on the agricultural impact of a possible UK-US trade agreement. It noted that while US producers operate at sizes and scales too large for UK farmers to compete in many commodities, “significant opportunities do exist within this vast market for products of high quality, value, and consistency.”

This won’t necessarily be easy, but it’s the kind of assurance that UK farmers need if we’re to flourish rather than flounder and I am a big believer in two-way trade.

It would show us a way forward.

This trade talk also comes at a favorable moment. Harvest prices are not looking particularly positive for 2025, but I think we’re at the bottom of a price cycle and things will start to improve soon. What’s more, on the livestock side, beef prices are hitting record highs, and they may remain healthy for a while, as both beef cow and dairy cow numbers decline in the UK, across Europe, and in other parts of the world.

There are risks connected to this. Demand might drop, for instance. Overall, however, we’re in a strong position right now to shift into the top-quality markets that we’ll find if US customers become freshly available to us and as the US beef price is also high, we are in a better position to match the competition.

Our competitors in the EU won’t have the same opportunity, as they’re now locked in a challenging trade war with the Americans.  Keeping track of the strikes and counterstrikes in these conflicts can be difficult, as they change daily amid posturing and threats.

That’s the way of trade wars: They escalate, hurting both sides, until the economic pain makes everyone come to their senses.

Amid this World War of Trade and while the UK now has tariffs on steel and aluminum, it has chosen not to react. We have an independent friendship with the Americans—and on the trade front, we’re looking at the bigger picture.

That’s partly because our trade balances are much more in sync. In 2023, for example, the UK exported about £60 billion in goods to the US and imported about £58 billion, according to the UK’s Office of National Statistics.

By contrast, the EU exports more to the US than it imports from the US—a fact that fuels many of Trump’s concerns.

People in both the UK and the US refer to our “Special Relationship,” a term popularized by Winston Churchill, the British prime minister whose mother was born in Brooklyn. It refers to a series of commonalities, from a shared language and history to a longstanding diplomatic alliance. President Trump’s mother was born in Scotland.

When PM Starmer visited President Trump in February, he hand delivered an invitation from King Charles for a state visit—something that US presidents often get during a first term but rarely during a second. Last week came additional news of the king’s “secret offer,” which may involve making the US an “associate member” of the British Commonwealth.

Relations between the UK and the US may be warmer than ever. It would be great to make a deal, we are more open to technology and look to end trade uncertainty for both sides benefit.