Our beef with the US / UK trade deal

With a growing shortage of livestock in the UK, we are becoming more reliant on importing beef and other products to feed this country’s needs, which poses a food security issue.

Our concern, which we have voiced directly to government ministers, is that the detail surrounding this 13,000 tonne quota should be carefully specified during final negotiations; something that wasn’t done properly for the Australian trade deal.

The issue for the British meat industry is less about how much beef and more about what kind of beef is allowed in. It’s certain that US exporters will concentrate on the high value, premium end of the market by sending cuts like strip loins to the UK. Where value and profit is made up is in the high-end cuts like sirloins, rumps and fillet steaks. Without these higher value products, beef production, regardless of where in the world it happens, wouldn’t be viable.

To illustrate the impact this could have: 13,000 tonnes of strip loins represents approximately 30% of that same cut we produce domestically. Indeed, the Australian year-two quota of 43,333 tonnes (this rises every year for 10 years) would represent ALL the strip loins the UK produces. If the full quotas are used, this would represent crippling competition for British farmers.

BMPA has urged government ministers not to make the same mistakes as were made during negotiations of the Australia deal and, carefully set specific quantities of eligible product to avoid damaging our domestic meat and livestock industry.