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FAS/San José expects a 15 percent decline in Costa Rica’s marketing year 2023/24 orange crop driving production down to 250,000 metric tons on suboptimal precipitation – associated with an El Niño weather system – during the critical fruit development period in 2023.

A July 29 seminar brought together roughly 100 Costa Rican craft brewers, retailers, restauranteurs, and enthusiasts to promote new brewing products and training courses to further develop the Costa Rican craft beer sector.

The United Kingdom's Border Target Operating Model, its post-Brexit system of import controls on animals, animal products, plants, and plant products, is set to come into effect on exports from the EU on January 31, 2024, and from the rest of the...

The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act received Royal Assent on March 23, 2023, confirming it as an act of Parliament. The Act is the first phase of amending the United Kingdom’s (UK) regulatory framework for genetically engineered (GE)...

Genetically engineered crop area planted increased in 2023, though it remained small and limited to cotton for seed and pink pineapples.

Representing more than 8 percent of Costa Rica's national economy, tourism is a significant driver of food service demand and wields considerable influence over consumer-oriented product import suppliers to Costa Rica.

Following the end of the pandemic, the hospitality sector in the United Kingdom (UK) continues to face several challenges including a cost-of-living crisis and soaring inflation rates.

Changes to UK alcohol tax rates were implemented on August 1, 2023. The UK government calls this an alcohol duty, but it is an excise tax charged at the point of production or importation of drinks of alcoholic strength exceeding 1.2 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) – the percentage of pure alcohol per liter of product.

U.S. rough rice exports have plummeted and the decline of Costa Rican rice production has accelerated sharply following the Government of Costa Rica’s August 2022 tariff rate reduction on imported rice from all origins.

The United Kingdom (UK) and member states of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) signed the agreement to join the CPTPP in July 2023.

The Costa Rican retail sector continues to grow with an increasing number of modern supermarkets stocking a growing range of imported products.

Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, U.S. export health certificates are now required to either follow the Great Britain model health certificates (for destinations within England, Scotland, or Wales) or the European Union model health certificates if shipping to Northern Ireland.