Ulster Unionist Agriculture Spokesperson Robin Swann MLA has welcomed China’s decision to grant market access for UK beef exporters by the end of the year. The announcement comes only 12 months after China first announced that it was lifting its longstanding BSE ban on beef from the UK.
Robin Swann said:
“This is a hugely significant development and I would applaud the officials in both DEFRA and DAERA, as well as countless primary producers and processors across the UK, for working so diligently and swiftly with the Chinese authorities.
“China, with its population of 1.4bn people, represents the world’s fastest growing beef market and is heavily dependent on imports to meet spiralling demand for protein products.
“This latest breakthrough for our exports market also comes less than a year after China announced that it was also allowing the import of UK dairy products, such as cheese and yogurts, that are made with milk from third countries. As Northern Ireland is a major importer of milk from the Republic of Ireland we were already uniquely set to be one of the main beneficiaries from that deal.
“With the massive uncertainty of Brexit still looming over our agri-food industry, major trade deals such as these are simply invaluable. The future viability of our agri-food sector is dependent on its ability to locate and secure new export markets so this progress with China is a hugely welcome step forward.”