Chinese market is open for UK beef

Yet another of the unwanted legacies of the BSE scare of more than 20 years ago looks to be cast aside with China announcing it is lifting its ban on British beef entering the country.

Although China has not so far featured as a beef importing country, it annually imports three-quarters of a million tonnes from countries such as Uruguay and with a growing middle class this figure is expected to rise.

Welcoming the news, the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), the umbrella body for the UK agricultural supply trade attributed it “to the level of assurance that exists across the supply chain”.

“Our schemes ensure that many of the raw ingredients that go into beef diets come from assured sources and are traceable. This is an essential foundation on which on-farm and meat processing assurance schemes are built,” said John Kelley, managing director of AIC Services.

AIC supported one of its members at a visit by a Chinese delegation to a feed plant organised by the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency providing firsthand experience of the feed industry’s high standards, a vital first step in the UK beef industry.