The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) has expressed disappointment with Government response to its letter regarding Australian meat exports.
The organisation said that it had recently written to Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch MP regarding meat export opportunities to Australia. The letter asked Badenoch to address the news that as part of the Border Target Operating Model, the UK (which cannot export beef or sheep meat to Australia without a protracted approval process) requires no health certificate for Australian lamb exports and needs only a simplified health certificate for Australian beef exports.
It also highlighted that the UK had granted these export measures "without requiring that Australia go through any sort of country or site approval process and without any attempt at trying to secure reciprocity".
In the letter, BMPA urged Government to request that Australia reciprocates and allows the import of UK beef and lamb without preconditions, saying: "We feel UK farmers would be deeply concerned if it emerged that we are prepared to import Australian meat and meat products without restriction but are unable to export to that market despite there being an FTA."
Government responds
Rather than receiving a reply from Badenoch, Farming Minister Mark Spencer issued a response.
BMPA said: "So, we were disappointed to receive a reply that failed to take seriously the issues we'd raised, and which came from a completely different department that is not responsible for signing trade deals. Instead of taking on our industry's concerns, Mrs Badenoch had punted them to the Minister of State for Food, Farming and Fisheries.
"The reply reminded us of the point we've been raising, that 'market access negotiations to agree an EHC (Export Health Certificate) with a third country take an average of three to five years'.
"However this is not any third country. It's Australia, with whom we already have a comprehensive free trade agreement. Indeed that agreement specifically does not require Australia to supply any Export Health Certificate to send shipments of Aussie sheep meat to Britain."
BMPA continued: "So, getting access for UK beef products should be a simple matter of requesting fast-tracking approval. As we said in our letter, this could be done 'on the basis of pre-listing, allowing trade to commence with audits taking place later and regularly thereafter in the normal manner'.
"If we are going to preserve our future food security and viability, the British meat and livestock industry needs our politicians to work more collaboratively with the businesses who are operating on the front line of international trade. We need them to acknowledge the bigger picture and make properly thought-through policy that doesn't throw up barriers to trade or cause unintended consequences."
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
