UK Export Finance has confirmed that Rich Clothier, Managing Director of Wyke Farms, has received a King’s New Year Honour for services to sustainable agriculture and food production. UKEF said it nominated Clothier in recognition of his role in growing UK food exports and advancing low‑carbon production. The announcement was published on 30 December 2025.
In its statement, UKEF highlighted Wyke Farms’ reach to customers in more than 160 countries and described the business as the UK’s largest independent cheese producer. The department also pointed to the company’s operations being powered by 100% renewable energy and its 360-strong workforce in Somerset-features presented as evidence that environmental performance and export growth can be combined in agri‑food.
UKEF’s mandate provides the policy backdrop. The agency’s mission is to advance prosperity by ensuring that no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance, operating sustainably and at no net cost to the taxpayer. It is the UK’s export credit agency, aligned with the Department for Business and Trade, and works alongside more than 100 private lenders and insurers.
The recognition also sits alongside the government’s export policy framework. The 2021 Export Strategy, Made in the UK, Sold to the World, set a 12‑point plan to build exporting capability, including a bigger role for UKEF’s guarantees. UKEF’s 2024–29 Business Plan commits to helping firms win over £12.5 billion in new export contracts by 2029, supporting 1,000 SMEs a year, and mobilising finance for investment in UK operations.
Clean growth is now embedded in export finance rules and in UKEF’s own strategy. The UK ended new overseas fossil‑fuel energy support from 31 March 2021, while recent OECD reforms allow export credit agencies to offer longer repayment terms for climate‑friendly projects. UKEF’s Sustainability Strategy targets £10 billion of clean‑growth finance and a further £10 billion mobilised in low‑ and middle‑income countries by 2029.
For food and drink manufacturers, UKEF’s toolkit includes working‑capital and investment guarantees that can support export expansion and supply‑chain upgrades, with buyer finance also available to unlock overseas contracts. Although UKEF’s release does not specify the instruments used by Wyke Farms, the product set detailed in UKEF’s guidance-alongside a shift to more digital services-shows how similar agri‑food firms can access trade finance at scale.
The honours process itself explains how a government department’s nomination progresses. Nominations are assessed by independent committees, undergo probity checks across government, and typically take 12–18 months before approval by ministers and The King. Lists are published at New Year and on the Sovereign’s official birthday; the 2026 New Year list was released on 29 December 2025.
Taken together, the nomination and award reflect the policy emphasis on export growth with measurable environmental outcomes. UKEF’s strategy to expand SME access to finance and scale clean‑growth exports provides a clear route for producers in agri‑food and beyond to grow internationally while meeting sustainability commitments.