Owen Paterson welcomed a new agreement between Defra and the Chinese authorities to begin negotiations on opening export routes for British beef and lamb suppliers to China, achieved during UK and China trade talks hosted by the prime minister and the Foreign Office.
This agreement is the first time that talks have opened since restrictions relating to BSE were imposed in the 1980s.
Environment secretary Owen Paterson said: “This landmark agreement will be a great boost to British food exporters, a major part of our long-term economic plan, and could be worth millions to our economy. British beef and lamb is excellent quality, so I welcome the opportunity to begin talks with the Chinese government to open trade routes for these great products once again.”
With UK food and drink exports soaring to £18.9bn in 2013 – a marked increased from 2009’s figure of £16.4bn – this agreement is the latest step in four years of record food and drink export growth.
UK food and drink exports to China were worth £257m last year. Defra ministers have frequently visited priority overseas markets such as China to champion the best of British food.
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