Western Daily Press (Saturday)
US chicken and beef? Return to sender ....
Restarting lamb exports to America is indeed a cause for rejoicing, Somerset MP Ian Liddell-Grainger tells Defra Secretary Ranil Jayawardena. What worries him is what may be coming the other way
DEAR Ranil, Duties having taken me away to Europe, I was unable to accept the invitation to attend this week’s bash at Downing Street to mark the restarting of lamb exports to the USA.
Much to my regret since it was, for a change, an entirely justifiable reason for holding a celebration within Number 10’s precincts.
The loss of the American market was a real blow for sheep farmers particularly as it was, regrettably, the result of the risks from BSE being greatly exaggerated and thus unnecessarily alarming a notoriously gullible American public.
It has also, I realise, taken a lot of time, persuasion and sheer hard work to light the flame under the trade again.
The ban has, of course, done nothing to dent the reputation of British lamb in other quarters which is why demand from the Continent has remained so strong. We can rightly claim to produce the best lamb in Europe – particularly since there are now no anti-competition rules to prevent us from doing so.
Of course – and despite the present somewhat precarious state of sterling – British lamb may appear rather expensive to many American consumers. But we need to point out to them that it is as good as it is because of first-rate pedigree, topquality pastures and first-class husbandry.
Generally, however, I don’t think we need to fear too much consumer resistance. In a land where so much food (particularly in the meat market) is over-processed, additivepacked and devoid of all flavour and sold on the basis of quantity rather than quality there is a growing segment of shoppers who are rebelling. They have had enough of it and are heading instead to the farmers’ markets and organic outlets to satisfy their craving for honest, old-fashioned, flavour-rich meat, fruit and veg.
Indeed, when there are Californians who are prepared to travel 50 miles just to be able to buy unpasteurised cheddar produced here in Somerset and plenty of punters who will part with 100 dollars or more a pound for genuine grass-fed fillet steak to get away from the awfulness of feedlot beef, I see no reason at all while British lamb should not soon carve out a healthy market niche for itself.
What concerns me more, however, is what the Americans will be sending us in return – an issue which seems to have slipped slowly below the surface in recent weeks.
And you don’t need me to tell you that in the current situation with
input costs banging against the ceiling and no possibility of market prices rising to join them, a lot of farmers view the idea of bringing in quantities of cheap, tasteless and not-verynourishing American chicken and beef as the cue to run up a distress flag and jump ship.
And while regretting it hugely I, for one, would not blame them in the least.