New U.K. government regulations set to come into force in December could prevent thousands of British meat producers from exporting to the European Union, the industry has warned.
The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) said a requirement that farms wishing to export to the EU provide documents signed by veterinarians that confirm visits to farms rather than farmer declaration was not achievable by the government’s Dec. 13 deadline.
While the new rules would not impact farms covered by a U.K. farm assurance scheme such as Red Tractor, thousands of other farms would need to have a signed veterinary visit before the deadline, it said.
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It estimated the new rules, which have not been demanded by the EU, would take more than a year to implement, partly due to a shortage of veterinarians. It noted 72 per cent of all U.K. meat exports go to the EU.
“If regulatory changes about to be introduced by Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) … are allowed to go ahead on that date, a significant amount of the U.K.’s meat production will become non-compliant for export to the EU overnight,” the BMPA said in a letter to Defra minister Mark Spencer.
It warned of a “devastating effect” on farmers, auction markets and meat processors, an immediate impact on U.K. livestock prices and disruption to the supply chain.
