NFU Scotland has described the announcement today of the lifting of the ban on the export of British beef as an enormous boost for the beef industry and Scottish economy.

The announcement was made today by Scotland’s Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie following a unanimous vote by the Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health in Brussels.

The beef export trade was worth £130 million to Scotland before exports were banned in 1996 in response to the BSE crisis.

NFUS President John Kinnaird said:

“The return of Scotch beef to European dinner tables is a huge boost for farmers, the rural economy and European consumers. It is just reward for the massive amount of work the Scottish beef sector has put in over the last ten years to escape the dark shadow cast by BSE. We have enshrined world class standards of production and become a stronger industry as a result.

“We can now emerge from a decade of difficulties, confident that our world class beef, produced to the highest standards, can compete again on the European market.

“For beef producers across Scotland, this will be a major confidence boost. We now have to re-establish our markets on the Continent and the work of Quality Meat Scotland to that end is already well underway. There is clear demand for our beef in Europe and we have more than earned the right to supply that market.

“This is a victory for quiet diplomacy. We have been in meetings with MEPs, European Commissioners, Commission officials and other European farm unions for nearly two years working towards today’s announcement. I would like to pay tribute to the efforts of Ministers and officials on this, as well as our own Brussels office. Industry bodies have worked extremely closely with the Scottish Executive and UK Government to ensure the sound scientific arguments were accepted by all member states - work that paid dividends today.”

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