China lifts the ban on UK beef
Beijing officials have decided to lift the ban on UK beef imports for the first time in two decades, considering that the threat of BSE does no longer exist.
In April, a Chinese delegation embarked on a nine days mission in Great Britain to carry an inspection on BSE and their point of view was positive after visiting farms, abattoirs, a BSE testing laboratory and render sites.
The decision announced today is seen as a landmark move for British producers estimated to be worth £250 million in the first 5 years alone.
"This is fantastic news for our world-class food and farming industry and shows we can be a truly outward-looking Britain outside the European Union. It is the result of painstaking and collaborative work by industry and the DEFRA team over many years. Today’s milestone will help to unlock UK agriculture’s full potential and is a major step to forging new trading relationships around the globe', declared the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Access (DEFRA) secretary Michael Gove.
China is currently the UK’s eighth largest export market for agri-food, with over £560 million worth of food and drink bought by Chinese consumers last year.
In the light of this event, AHDB International Market Development Director Dr Phil Hadley said: "We will now begin the work on the export protocols and approvals to allow commercial shipments to begin".
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