Welcome news in mid Wales as British lamb exported to US for first time in decades
Welsh sheep farmers are celebrating as exports of UK lamb to the USA are finally allowed following the lifting of a decades-old ban.
Exports of British sheep meat were sent to the USA on Saturday for the first time in decades now that Welsh lamb can once again enter the American market.
President Joe Biden committed to lifting his country’s decades-old ban on imports of the British meat in September 2021, in a move that delighted UK sheep farmers.
Craig Williams, Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire, hailed Saturday as a “milestone day for Montgomeryshire lamb”.
He said: “This is indeed a milestone day for our sheep sector. With Montgomeryshire possessing Western’s Europe’s largest prime lamb market within Welshpool as well as one of the largest lamb processing abattoirs with Randall Parker Foods in Llanidloes, the lifting of the US ban on UK lamb imports is fantastic news for our local export market and economy.
“The US is one of the world’s biggest importer of lamb and mutton – second only to China. The reintroduction of this market will provide a huge multi-million-pound boost to sheep farmers across the UK and Montgomeryshire. The UK has always produced world class lamb to the very highest animal welfare standards, and I have no doubt that Welsh lamb will be hugely popular within restaurants and markets across the United States
“I have also written to the US Ambassador for the UK, inviting her to visit Welshpool Livestock Market to meet with the producers of the best lamb in the world, and to discuss this immense opportunity for both nations in growing our agricultural and commercial ties.”
