British beef industry gets access to Chinese market

The Chinese Government has agreed to allow beef imports from the UK after releasing finalised details of a UK-China agreement.

British beef exporters will now have complete access to the Chinese market for the first time after more than two decades due to a ban imposed by the Chinese Government in 1996 following the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak.

The new deal between the two governments is expected to provide a £230m boost to the British beef industry.

UK Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers said: “Sealing this landmark agreement with China is huge news for our world-renowned food and farming industry, meaning more people across the globe can enjoy British beef.

“Today’s milestone marks another step towards unlocking the industry’s full potential, and reflects our ambition to maximise trading opportunities for British produce across the world as the UK leaves the EU.”

The permission was granted by the Chinese Government following an extensive inspection by the authorities, who confirmed that beef producers in the UK meet the required standards to export to their market.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) carried out the inspections in collaboration with Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales HCC) and other industry bodies, along with government departments and agencies.

Initially, Chinese officials approved four beef sites for export, with additional sites under review.

The first shipment of beef from the approved facilities is expected over the next few months.

UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said: “This is another step forward in realising our global trading ambitions with unbeatable British food. As we leave the European Union, we will continue to break down market access barriers to make it easier for UK businesses to trade across the world.”

Last June, China announced it will lift the ban on beef imports from the UK that was originally imposed as a result of an outbreak of BSE, also known as mad cow disease, more than 20 years ago.