Is British Beef Still Banned in the Us 2019
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.
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 - up nearly 3% on the same period last year.
Pork exports led the way with a 15% increase in value to £311 million. While challenges on some EU markets resulted in a 10% decline in EU shipments, non-EU pork and pig meat offal exports were up 17% on the year to end June, accounting for 59% of UK exports.
While both volume and value for beef exports were down on last year, shipments to non-EU countries were up 21% and 46% respectively. The overall decline in beef shipments was due to coronavirus-related challenges on the global food service market and strong domestic demand.
Among the key third country destinations for UK beef is Japan, which has seen 1,369 tonnes of beef shipped so far this year after the UK gained market access in early 2019 – bringing a £4.7 million boost to the sector.
Other regions which have seen a rise in exports include the Philippines, with volumes up 51% to 1,958 tonnes and Canada, where shipments have grown to 968 tonnes from a modest 26 tonnes last year.
Sheep meat exports have increased in value by almost 2%, worth £195 million over the first six months – with a 129% rise in volumes to non-EU countries both for commodity cuts to markets such as Ghana or, at the higher end of the market, to Canada which both recorded sharp rises in shipments this year.
The strong results come during one of the most challenging years on record for red meat exports due to the ongoing difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/uk-world-news/british-beef-bound-usa-historic-4524711
0 Response to "Is British Beef Still Banned in the Us 2019"
Post a Comment