Come January, the US will start importing British lamb and beef for the first time in nearly 20 years after the produce was considered unfit for consumption and banned during the mad cow disease scandal in the UK.
Now, a draft agreement between the two countries has been reached, the Daily Telegraph can reveal, with the decision due to be the UK’s first major foreign trade deal agreed upon since the EU referendum result on June 24th. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs figures suggest that this will give the economy a boost of £35 million each year.
“Our world-leading food and drink industry is a key part of our nation’s economic success and in addition to forging good trade deals with our European neighbours, we want to secure more export opportunities in the States as well as with our close friends in the Commonwealth and other countries around the world,” farming minster George Eustice is set to say at the opening of the National Sheep Association show in Malvern in Worcestershire.
Mad cow disease first broke in England back in 1996, a brain disorder associated with eating meat from cattle that was infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy. In March of that year, Japan banned the import of meat and bone animal feed from the country, while the EU brought in a ban on British beef and associated beef products. And in August, the agriculture ministry confirmed that the disease could in fact be passed on from cow to calf.
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