USA takes first bite of UK beef in 20 years
EXPORTS of prime quality British beef will soon be heading to the USA for the first time in over 20 years, representing a “historic moment” for farmers nationally and in the Westcountry, writes Athwenna Irons.
The maiden shipments are now being prepared for travel across the Atlantic and are expected to arrive in the States in the coming weeks, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said.
It comes after four processing plants, based in Northern Ireland and Wales, were this week listed by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service as eligible to export UK beef to the USA.
David Barton, chairman of the National Farmers’ Union’s (NFU) South West regional livestock board, said: “This is a great opportunity for beef producers in what is potentially a huge market, and it will enable us to showcase the high quality meat that is produced here in the South West.
“Hopefully we will see more trade deals like this struck in the future.”
Beef from the UK had been banned from entering the USA since 1996 following an outbreak of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), commonly known as Mad Cow Disease.
The USA announced plans to lift its 24-year exclusion of British beef imports in March following a three-week inspection in 2019. Defra said the deal could create £66 million worth of export opportunities for British farmers over the next five years.
Dr Phil Hadley, international market development director for the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), described the move to restart exports to the American market as a “historic moment” for British livestock farmers.
He said: “We are rightly proud of our industry, which has a reputation for producing high quality beef to some of the best welfare standards in the world.
“The US represents a really important potential market for our red meat exports, and this development is the result of the hard work and persistence of industry and Government to bring about this crucial next step.
“This important milestone will bring a fantastic boost to the sector and we look forward to seeing more of our red meat served up on tables across the US in the months and years to come.”
According to the latest figures from HMRC, red meat exports from the UK have enjoyed a good start to the year, with shipments already worth £733 million in the first six months. Japan is among the key destinations for British beef, with 1,369 tonnes shipped so far this year.