There shall be no weakening of UK meals requirements on US beef imports
9 Might 2025
2 minute learn
Britain’s farmers union gave Thursday’s US-UK financial deal a combined reception, welcoming the retention of British meals requirements on US imports and reciprocal market entry for beef, however flagging concern over a elimination of tariffs on bioethanol, reported Reuters.
The deal gave UK farmers a US quota for beef of 13,000 metric tonnes, which the Nationwide Farmers Union stated was a optimistic. Underneath the deal, US farmers can have the identical quota for gross sales into Britain.
Crucially there shall be no weakening of UK meals requirements on US beef imports, which was a pink line for the union and an election manifesto pledge for the Labour authorities. Which means US beef bred with development hormones nonetheless will not be allowed into the UK.
“We respect the federal government’s efforts in listening to our considerations, significantly round sustaining excessive requirements, defending delicate agricultural sectors and securing reciprocal entry for beef,” NFU President Tom Bradshaw stated.
Brooke Rollins, US Secretary of Agriculture, stated the deal would “exponentially enhance” US beef exports to Britain.
Nevertheless, with little value differential between British produced beef and US beef that does meet UK requirements, the US product may wrestle to discover a UK market.
Discovering favour with the UK shopper may be a tricky process. At present 100% of the contemporary beef bought by Britain’s two greatest grocery store teams – Tesco and Sainsbury’s – is British and Irish.
Bradshaw additionally stated he was involved that the US had been given full entry to Britain’s marketplace for bioethanol, which is used to provide beer.
“Two agricultural sectors have been singled out to shoulder the heavy burden of the elimination of tariffs for different industries within the financial system,” he added.
