The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
European trade rests on knife-edge Brexit deal
Sales of Scottish beef and lamb to EU in the balance until deal is signed off
An Italian meat importer who buys £12 million worth of Scottish beef and lamb every year has warned of the impact on business if the knife-edge Brexit deal falls through.
Giacinto Fusetti of Kimeat said it would be difficult to continue to trade Scottish meat to his customers in Italy if the EU deal currently on the table is not agreed.
At the Scottish Fatstock Club’s annual carcase competition at Scotbeef, Bridge of Allan, at the weekend, he reminded the industry that a hard exit from Europe would make the UK a Third Country and have serious trading consequences for companies like his own.
“It’s said.
“A 20% tariff would be a nightmare, but for the moment we’re not making contingency plans. We prefer to continue to do our Scottish order each week and receive the product each week.
“The other issue is that as a Third Country, the quantity of British beef and lamb allowed into the EU would have to be split with the rest of the world, including South America, Australia, Argentina and New Zealand. We are very worried about Brexit.”
More locally, trade with Scotbeef’s major customer, Marks & Spencer, is booming with the company buying 85% of the lamb and more than 60% all about taxes and tariffs,” he of beef from Scottish producers. One of the year’s outstanding success stories is the launch of a burger branded “bestever”.
Scotbeef managing director Robbie Galloway said three million packs of the burger have been sold since it was launched in April, while other retail successes include a slow-cook range which has seen a growth of 70% .
Mr Galloway said it was vital for the industry to be able to market the whole carcase.
He added: “We were boasting five to six years ago in the lead-up to Christmas that we were producing 30,000 red meat joints for the season.
“This year it is 70,000 joints. People are having a red meat joint as well as a turkey at Christmas dinner.”
However, Mr Galloway said that as margins tightened across the red meat industry, inefficiencies had to be driven out, and he called on the farmers present to improve animal health and the efficiency of stock.
The supreme champion cattle carcase, which attracted a £1,000 prize, came from Ross Brothers of Wardhead, Strichen.
It was bred in Orkney by the Ritch family from Kierfold Farm, from an Aberdeen-Angus cross cow and an Aberdeen-Angus bull. It weighed 650kg liveweight, 394.1kg deadweight, graded U+4L and killed out at 60.6%.
The supreme champion sheep carcase came from NFU Scotland vicepresident Martin Kennedy and his wife Jane, who farm at Lurgan, Aberfeldy. The Beltex-sired lamb weighed 42kg deadweight, 21.7kg liveweight, graded E3H and killed out at 51.7%.