Mexican beef could be soon available in UK stores as the farming minister confirmed that the high-carbon meat could be imported under a new trade deal, stated recent reports.
Mark Spencer said at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) conference in Birmingham that the deal could pave the way for meat from the Latin American country, declaring, “We have to be fair to everyone; we can’t say we will sell milk to you but we won’t buy your beef.”
Spencer's announcement is getting a lukewarm response among farmers.
“I am very concerned about links to deforestation. From Mexico our lines are pretty tough on this having given away so much on beef to Australia and New Zealand. We want the government to take a very, very firm line on further imports of beef," The Guardian quoted NFU president Minette Batters as saying.
“Environmental impacts are why beef was a sensitive sector, both in New Zealand and in Australia. And now in Mexico. And we want them now to really show that they are keeping their promises of not undermining farmers and trade deals. We don’t want to see further imports of beef.”
Batters further warned that input prices in farms had risen by about 50 per cent since 2019, despite recent falls in the price of energy. Bird flu is also on the rise, the threat of African swine fever spreading from Europe is alarming the pig sector, and the stranglehold of the big supermarkets over farm producers means "farmers make only tiny profits from their produce, as low as 0.09p in profit from a loaf of bread".
“The clock is ticking … The time is nearly up for government to demonstrate its commitment to food and farming in our great country, not just by saying they support us, but by showing us they do," warned Batters.
A government spokesperson said that the UK is a global leader in environmental protection and animal welfare and we will never sign a trade deal that compromises on these standards.
“Our approach to trade is clear. We are committed to realising the benefits of greater trade, opening up new markets for our world-class British produce, and ensuring that our approach works for farmers, consumers and businesses," the publication quoted the spokesperson as saying.
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