Could Trump’s mum end 47-year haggis ban by US?
IT’S fair to say US President Donald Trump is a controversial figure in Scotland.
But his family connections north of the Border may actually profit the economy by convincing him to reverse a 47-year ban on haggis.
UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove yesterday revealed he has spoken to the American government about lifting the restrictions.
He said he was confident Mr Trump would be ‘sympathetic’ to the idea on account of his Hebridean mother.
Mary Anne MacLeod was born in Tong on Lewis in 1912. She emigrated to the US in 1930 and married real estate developer Fred Trump six years later. She gave birth to the future president in 1946.
Haggis was banned in America in 1971 when the US Department of Agriculture ruled that food containing sheep lung could not be consumed by humans and it was therefore illegal for businesses and consumers to import it.
A further ban on UK beef and lamb in 1989, due to the BSE outbreak, further complicated matters.
The subject was raised during a Commons debate when Scottish Tory MP Kirstene Hair wished the House a happy Burns Night.
In reply, Mr Gove said: ‘I had recent discussions with the undersecretary at the US Department of Agriculture to see if we can lift the ban on haggis.
‘While the American President has many faults, he has one virtue, which is that he has a Scots mum. So on that basis, I hope he may listen sympathetically.’
With ten million Americans claiming Scottish ancestry, the move could prove lucrative for exporters.
Until last year, haggis could not be sold in Canada either.
But in October, chefs at Mac- sween of Edinburgh managed to comply with regulations set by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency by replacing the lung with lamb heart and fat.
The move was made possible after Canada lifted its ban on red meat imports from Europe in 2015.
Canada also has strong links to Scotland, with 15 per cent of the population claiming they have ethnic roots here.
Last month, we reported how US-based Scots Line of Duty actor Martin Compston fell foul of American food regulations.
A Christmas hamper sent to him by his mother, complete with shortbread, tea cakes, festive nibbles and haggis, was rejected by US Customs.
‘I hope he may listen sympathetically’