The Ulster Farmers’ Union has expressed concern for Northern Ireland’s beef industry following the announcement at the G8 Summit in Fermanagh that the US and Europe are set to start formal trade negotiations.
Ulster Farmers’ Union President Harry Sinclair said; “While on the face of it these international trade deals bring benefits they usually cover a broad spectrum of areas and are negotiated at a very high level, meaning that often the significance of specific industries in certain areas are not accounted for. Market access has been explicitly mentioned as a key part of these negotiations with the aim to remove all tariffs, or to reduce them as much as possible, on industrial and agricultural products with special treatment for sensitive products, such as beef. Should a deal be brokered, I have a very real concern that our beef industry will be put at significant risk.
“Realistically, beef imports are inevitable but my concern is that the beef being imported from the US will not meet the high standards that are expected here in Northern Ireland. It is no secret that in the US hormones are used routinely as part of the production process and farms operate in more of a factory-style as opposed to the family-style of farming found in Northern Ireland. Farmers here work incredibly hard to comply with the EU’s high standards in order to provide high quality, safe food for consumers. It should not be any different for imports. If the US wants to export its beef here, they should be expected to meet the same strict European quality, animal health, disease, environmental, and traceability regulations.
“This process needs to be handled properly to ensure that the beef industry in Europe is not sacrificed during the negotiation process. I am looking to our politicians to ensure that no concessions are made that would adversely affect farmers.”
