US beef and pork exporters target UK market

US meat exporters are pursuing improved access to the UK marketplace for both beef and pork.

The US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) anticipates that a potential free trade agreement between the US and UK may be back on the table as a result of the incoming Trump administration.

Negotiations on a proposed free trade agreement between the UK and US began in 2020, however talks stalled under the Biden administration.

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The inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States will take place next week on 20 January, and could lead to trade talks between the two nations recommencing.

USMEF vice president of economic analysis, Erin Borror, said: “The UK is the only major importer of which the US has basically no market share, and it’s a one-way street with trade.

“We actually lost access through Brexit. We lost our duty-free access because the high-quality beef quota stayed with Europe.”

Ms Borror added that the US needed reciprocal access for red meat.

“We need no tariffs, no quotas. The UK benefits from practically unfettered access into the US, and we need the same into the UK.”

The UK regained market access to the US for beef exports in 2020, following a long-term ban due to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

The British Meat Processors Association states that domestic producers are currently protected by import tariffs, but if it was removed and standards were met by US producers there could be a substantial impact.

More than £1.3bn of beef and £2.4bn of pork were imported in to the UK during the first 10 months of 2024, with the vast majority of product coming from the EU.

Farmgate beef prices in the US and the UK have been climbing throughout the past six months and both are currently near the equivalent to £5.50/kg. This is a significant premium to prices in other major beef producing countries such as Brazil and Australia.

Becky Smith, senior livestock analyst at AHDB, said: “The US is currently hosting record low cattle inventories, following several years of liquidation due to climatic and financial pressures.”

Ms Smith added that the US cattle herd was forecast to decline by 4% year on year in 2025.