November 26, 2012

Russia cessation of meat import ban to benefit UK industry

Russia's cessation of a 26-year ban on meat imports could be worth up to GBP115 million (US$184.3 million) to the UK meat industry for the next three years, according to a UK beef and sheep organisation.

Beef exports are expected to begin from a limited number of plants in the new year, while lamb exports are due to follow in April. The technical decision to lift the ban was made during the summer and the political announcement has confirmed the position.

EBLEX has been working with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to address Russia's long-standing meat ban on British beef for some time and earlier this year hosted a delegation of eight Russian vets. They spent just over a week with DEFRA's export team visiting farms and processing facilities as part of the process of working towards developing potential market access for the UK.

Peter Hardwick, EBLEX head of trade development, said: "EBLEX has been working closely with DEFRA to emphasise the importance of this market and, through the Export Certification Partnership with Defra, placed Russia as a top priority in terms of market access and the lifting of import restrictions.

"Russia remains one of the largest global importers of beef and the potential for beef exports there is enormous. We welcome the official political announcement but are not surprised as the technical decision to lift the ban had already been made.

"We've been helping to work towards this for some time and were aware of Nigel Gibbens' visit to Moscow. As we've said before, improving market access for beef and lamb in non-EU countries will help the UK compete on the global stage and maximise returns for producers."