Farming Minister, George Eustice, has confirmed that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published proposals for consultation to relax its import restrictions on lamb, which could generate an extra £35 million for the UK economy.
The announcement was made by Eustice at the opening of National Sheep Event in Malvern in Worcestershire, organised by the National Sheep Association (NSA).
It is believed that these proposals could allow British lamb to be available to US consumers by early 2017.
Eustice said: “The US decision to press ahead with proposals to lift export restrictions on British lamb is great news for our farmers who are one step closer to gaining access to the lucrative American market, worth an estimated £35 million a year.
“Our world-leading food and drink industry is a key part of our nation’s economic success and in addition to forging good trade deals with our European neighbours, we want to secure more export opportunities in the States as well as with our close friends in the Commonwealth and other countries around the world.”
The move is the latest in ongoing efforts to allow Britain’s farmers to start exporting sheep meat to the United States’ 300 million consumers. Ahead of April’s trade talks with US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Defra submitted a 1,000-page dossier to the USDA detailing the safety and quality of British beef and lamb.
It is now co-ordinating a UK farming industry comment for the 60-day consultation and liaising with relevant US trade associations to gain support for the proposals.
NSA chief executive Phil Stocker commented: “Increasing the number of export destinations for British sheep meat is vital for our industry, ensuring there is demand for our quality product in as many markets as possible.
“It is very encouraging that the USA is interested in opening its doors. Lamb sales in the USA have dropped over the years, as a result of a falling domestic production base, and NSA would like to see British lamb exported and promoted to boost consumption. It could be a real opportunity for our sector.”
NFU livestock board chairman Charles Sercombe added: “Re-opening the US beef and lamb market to UK imports would be a positive move and an important confidence building measure for the British livestock sector. The US is potentially a huge and affluent market that has strong links to the UK as we share history and language.”
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.
