Beef Exports

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 3:31 pm on 14 July 1999.

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Photo of Nick Brown Nick Brown Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Minister of State (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) 3:31, 14 July 1999

With permission, Madam Speaker, I should like to make a statement about beef exports.

I am very pleased to inform the House that, this morning, the European Commission adopted a decision that has the effect of lifting the beef ban for the whole of the United Kingdom. Its decision is that the date-based export scheme, on which we have been formally negotiating since October 1997, should start to operate from 1 August this year. From that date, it will be possible to export to other European Union countries boneless beef from cattle born after 1 August 1996 in any part of the UK.

Other conditions will have to be met. To deal with the risk of maternal transmission, no animal will be eligible for export unless its dam can be proved to have lived for at least six months after its birth without developing BSE. The date of birth and the identity of the animal must be established beyond doubt.

I negotiated one significant change with the Commission, however. Although the slaughterhouses must deal exclusively in cattle that meet the requirements for export, they can also deal in other species. That is a commercially important point for operators.

My Department and the other Agriculture Departments have worked in close consultation with all parts of the industry to ensure that they are geared up to make the best possible use of the scheme. The next steps will involve a final inspection and approval by my Department of exporting plants, after which exports can start. Everything is in place for that to happen from 1 August.

One company is poised to start exporting as soon as possible after the 1 August start date and others will follow. The Government will do all that they can to ensure that the scheme delivers benefits to our beef producers and traders and that it helps to build confidence within the agriculture industry at home and to rebuild confidence in British beef among our European Union partners.

The decision is an important breakthrough for the industry after the bleak time since March 1996 during which our beef industry has been afflicted by the export ban. My objective, however, is to get the UK market back on the same terms of trade as our competitors.

Today's decision is the result of a negotiation that has lasted for nearly two years. I pay tribute to the hard work that has been put in along the way by Ministers and officials in a number of Departments. It is an excellent example of well-organised, inter-departmental collaboration across Government in successful pursuit of a significant, national objective. The outcome also shows clearly the benefits of the Government's new approach to doing business in Europe. In stark contrast with the ludicrous Tory beef war, which produced nothing except our own isolation from Europe, Labour leadership in Europe and our constructive approach towards our European partners has clearly been shown to succeed.