Hard Brexit threat to beef sector across the whole of Europe
Brexit represents the greatest current threat to European producers, consumers and distributors of meat – with a potential to create much more disruption than the recent Russian embargo.
That was the finding of a major pan-european study carried out by Europe’s meat trade body, UECVB, into the likely effects of a hard Brexit on both imports and exports between the EU and the UK.
Speaking as the report was released yesterday, the organisation’s president, Philippe Borremans, said that by potentially cutting off one of the largest and highest value meat markets in Europe, Brexit threatened to be catastrophic for the industry across Europe and the UK.
“In the worst case scenario, in which no deal between the EU and the UK is agreed, the impact on the meat sector will be monumental, due to the particular exposure of this sector to tariff costs, veterinary checks and increased cus-
0 A hard Brexit would hit beef farmers across Europe toms and transport costs,” he said.
He added that the findings of the report confirmed the trade’s worst fears: “A hard Brexit would send shock waves through the European meat industry, eliminating jobs, increasing consumer prices and destroying the livelihood of small business owners working in the meat sector.”
Borremans said that across the EU the likely reduction in trade would create a surplus of EU beef and pigmeat, reducing the value of trade in the beef sector by €2.4 billion in the short run, and of pigmeat by more than €2.3bn. The Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers also urged EU and UK negotiators alike to address the issues which had been raised.
The organisation said that the challenge UK and Scottish governments faced was to pursue a plan which maximised the advantages and opportunities which would arise throughout the duration of the UK’S Brexit transition, and to establish a production and business platform for post-eu Britain which would enable the industry to grow both domestic and export markets.