November 8, 2013

UK pushes pork exports to Australia

A UK Member of Parliament (MP) representing Northern Ireland (NI) is pushing authorities to allow pork export to Australia.

Under Australian regulations, cooked pig meat can now be imported from Canada, Denmark, Sweden and the US. Uncooked pig meat for further processing (cooking) can be imported from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the US.

Certain specialty pig meat products, such as dry-cured hams, can be imported from Spain and specific regions of Italy.

Margaret Ritchie, Member for South Down, NI, says her plea to allow exports to Australia has been tied up in red tape. Ritchie said she had written to the Secretary of State at the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The department then referred the letter to the Minister for Agriculture in NI, who is responsible for exports from Northern Ireland.

While imports of pork products from the UK were approved in February this year, it did not include product from NI.

A spokesman for the Australian Department of Agriculture said countries had to meet strict criteria to export pork to Australia.

"Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development pig meat processes have not been assessed by Australian authorities so Northern Ireland cannot export pig meat to Australia at this time," he said.

Ritchie said she did not feel the London authorities were being proactive and the Australian authorities were holding up the process.

Meanwhile, peak body Australian Pork Limited made a submission last month to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. It said it was committed to expanding foreign market access, particularly to Asia.

The Australian industry was "well positioned" to meet "Asia's large and rapidly growing middle class demand for higher quality pork with guaranteed health and hygiene status", the submission said.