The EU and US have just announced a trade “framework” that promises preferential market access for a range of American agricultural goods, including pork. At this stage it is only a political agreement rather than a full treaty. The detail on tariff levels, quota sizes and product conditions is still missing, but this is where the most important questions lie for European and UK producers.
The language published so far suggests that US pork exporters could benefit from easier entry to the EU market, helped by “streamlined requirements for sanitary certificates”. However, there is no clarity on how much pork could actually flow or at what tariff rate. Equally, there has been no indication of how strictly production standards, such as the EU’s ractopamine ban, will be enforced in practice, though it is assumed they will remain in place.
The timing also remains uncertain. EU officials have said they intend to introduce legislation quickly, and the US has offered to backdate some tariff cuts to the beginning of August as a way of speeding that process. If that happens, trade could start flowing under temporary arrangements well before all the detail is finalised. That risks locking in conditions that US exporters will be reluctant to see altered later.
For UK processors the greatest concern is not just direct displacement of UK product but the effect on Europe’s largest pork exporters, including Denmark, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. If they find their home markets under pressure from cheaper US pork, they may increase volumes into the UK under existing EU–UK trade terms. This could intensify competition for UK businesses at home just as negotiations on EU access are still unresolved.
At this point there are more questions than answers. What is clear is that the direction of travel favours greater access for US pork into the European market. BMPA watch closely for the first EU legislative proposals, which should reveal how much room US exporters are being given and how quickly the market dynamics could shift.
We are the UKs largest trade body for the meat industry and provide expert advice on trade issues, bespoke technical advice and access to government policy makers
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We are further strengthened by our associate Members who work in industries that support and supply our meat processing companies.
We are the voice of the British meat industry.
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