August 10, 2018

British pork exports enter Taiwan market
 

Taiwan has given the green light for British pork imports in a deal worth £50 million (US$64.2 million) over a period of five years.

The agreement will enable UK exporters to further tap into the overseas demand for parts of the pig carcass, which are not commonly purchased in the UK, such as pig offal. In addition, it will offer a potential for UK farmers and pork processors to generate income for the whole carcass.

In 2017, UK pork exports reached over 80 markets and were worth £290 million (US$372 million) to the economy, according to statistics from the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Britain's Food Minister, George Eustice, shared: "Access to this new market in Taiwan is great news for our farmers and producers and gives a welcome boost to the pork production industry, which is already worth £1.3 billion (US$1.67 billion) to the UK economy. This is a significant development for pork exporters and reinforces our reputation for producing high-quality food and drink, guaranteeing quality from farm to fork."

The partnership was secured by the UK Government, working with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and UK Export Certification Partnership (UKECP). As soon as the administrative listing process is completed and export certification is made available, exporters can begin to take advantage of the market.

"Following years of hard work by UK government, the opening of the Taiwanese market to British pork will bring significant benefits to UK pork exporters. This follows a record level of UK food and drink exports last year," George Hollingbery, International Trade Minister, said.

Last month, China also retracted its two-decade long ban on UK beef exports, following the BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or also known as mad cow disease) outbreak. The collaboration will allow official market access negotiations to begin and is worth more than £250 million (US$321 million) in the first five years alone.

Hollingbery added, "This only goes to highlight UK's world-famous reputation for high-quality produce, and we are committed to maintaining those high standards as we leave the EU next spring."
 

Source:foodmanufacture.co.uk