EU exit and the red meat trade
With so much focus on the implications for UK industry, it is easy to forget that leaving the EU has sent shockwaves across Europe.
The UK Exit from the EU has dominated media coverage in the UK over the last few years, focusing on the potential impacts for UK industries. To provide a different perspective to the debate, AHDB invited Knud Buhl, representing the Danish pig industry, and Cormac Healy, representing the Irish meat industry, to a webinar where they shared their views on the expected impact for the EU meat sector and what they are doing to get ready.
Both speakers agreed the UK is hugely important in the overall European meat market and trade with the UK, both inwards and outwards, is key to overall market balance.
In a no-trade-deal scenario, World Trade Organisation tariffs would apply. If these remain at their current level, it would mean imports of Danish pork could become between 30 to 40 per cent more expensive. The overall cost of tariffs for Irish meat exports into the UK in the case of no deal would be over 900 million euros, with the cost for beef alone amounting to 700 million euros.
To understand this topic in a little more detail, AHDB’s webinar is available to watch on-demand via their website: ahdb.org.uk/pork-events-archive
Tania Gesto-Casas is AHDB Pork EU policy manager
