WA food and beverage businesses travel to Paris for the world's largest food exhibition

Ten WA businesses - spanning wine, spirits, seafood, meat, condiments and honey - showed their wares at the Austrade stand at the world's largest food exhibition, Salon International de I'Agroalimentaire (SIAL).

The State government supported the WA exhibitors to identify buyers and facilitate introductions at the event, which draws more than 310,000 producers, importers, buyers and retailers from more than 200 countries.

Europe is WA's fourth largest agrifood export destination, worth $2.05 billion in 2021-22, while WA's food and beverage exports to the UK were worth a total of $28 million for the same period and increased by 17.8 per cent.

The WA delegation will also participate in a market familiarisation and engagement program arranged by the State government and Austrade to help capture opportunities from the impending Australia-United Kingdom FTA.

The State government's London office and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development have collaborated with Austrade UK and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA to organise a series of market research and business matching activities.

Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan said WA was well-placed to satisfy the highly discerning markets of the UK and Europe, with its "enviable biosecurity system and sustainable production practices".

While acknowledging that WA's grains industry wasn't exposed to the UK market, Grains Industry of Western Australia crop report author Michael Lamond said anything that would reduce Australia's trade barriers would be a good thing for the State's grain producers.

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With the European Union the biggest market for Australia's canola, accounting for 71 per cent, Mr Lamond said it was a good example where chemical and environmental trade barriers could greatly affect our export markets.

"However, more free open trade between countries hopefully means there will be less regulatory hurdles to overcome for our exports, so the main benefit of these FTA's for grain producers might not so much be the reduction in tariffs, but possibly less restrictions," Mr Lamond said.

"With our canola, traceability is becoming more important, and there is nothing wrong with that, but you don't want it to become a barrier for export."

Mr Lamond said a reduction in tariffs from the FTAs would also likely encourage an increase in investment and activity in the downstream processing of grains in the State.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced that Australia signed the FTA agreement with the UK in December last year, with exporters to benefit from the elimination of tariffs on more than 99 per cent of Australian goods exports to the UK, valued at about $9.2 billion.

As a result of the FTA, a tariff-free quota of 35,000 tonnes of beef at entry into force will expand to 110,000t in year 10, while a tariff-free quota of 25,000 tonnes of sheep meat will expand to 75,000, also in year 10.

After 10 years tariffs on both beef and sheep meat will be eliminated.

Australia is the first country to negotiate a trade agreement with the UK since it exited the European Union.