International Trade Secretary visits Yorkshire farm to celebrate Great British Beef Week

The visit included a tour of Mowbray Park Farm and the 250-strong, grass-fed beef herd. The Atkinson’s have been running the herd for over 40 years, and now with the help of their grandchildren, export semen and embryos to countries across the world.

British beef is best in the world

Michael said: “In my view, British beef simply can’t be beaten on quality, taste and production standards so it was fantastic to meet Liz Truss today and show her first-hand why British beef is the best in the world.

“We produce a premium product and it was great to see that recognised today. We know there is appetite across the world for British beef and we will need to make the most of this if we are to continue to get the best returns for our product from the market.”

Finding new markets

NFU President Minette Batters joined them on farm. She said: “As we celebrate Great British Beef Week and showcase the incredible quality and sustainability of British beef, it’s important that we grow our exports around the world and find new markets. We have developed a fantastic reputation for quality, and we believe this also presents an opportunity to develop our market share in existing countries.

“By expanding our markets overseas, we can help set the global standard when it comes to climate-friendly food. Our beef farmers are leading the way in this area, with UK beef production emitting less than half the amount of greenhouses gases compared to the global average.

“It is good to see the International Trade Department being ambitious when it comes to opening up new export markets, but I also made it clear to the International Trade Secretary that the British brand must not be undermined by trade deals that allow imports of agri-food products that fail to meet our own high standards of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection. I stressed the important role the Trade and Agriculture Commission has to play here and the need for the government to urgently publish its response to the Commission’s report.”

The work with the Department for International Trade and its Open Doors export campaign is crucial to growing the British brand of quality and sustainability. This goal will allow farmers to fulfil the ambition to be global leaders in climate-friendly food.