Pork, beef and lamb from Britain will be arriving in Canada this month for a premier food innovation event in a bid to grow the country’s red meat exports.

The AHDB will be attending SIAL Toronto at the end of April, alongside QMS and Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC)

The three meat levy bodies will join more than 1000 exhibitors from April 30-May 2. The show is expected to attract around 18,000 visitors from 50 countries.

Throughout the three-day event, AHDB will showcase the high quality of UK meat in the International Hall as well as meet with key influencers and potential buyers from the Canadian retail and food service sectors.

The aim is to highlight the exceptional taste of the meat, the country’s world-leading animal welfare standards and the sustainability of UK meat production.

Samples of top-quality Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb will be available for potential buyers to savour and QMS will be promoting the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status of Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb, along with the guarantees of quality assurance, provenance and welfare that underpin the brands.

QMS is also partnering with Seafood Scotland, as part of the successful Surf and Turf initiative, who will be sampling Scottish salmon, langoustines and oysters at the event.

Exports of red meat to Canada have grown over recent years. Last year, shipments of pork, beef and lamb reached 454 tonnes, worth around £2 million - up from 271 tonnes in 2017, according to data from Statistics Canada.

Emily Symonds, Project Officer with QMS, is attending the show and said the market in Canada offers significant potential for Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI sales growth in the coming years.

“SIAL Canada is a fantastic opportunity for us to meet with buyers, reinforce key messaging and secure trade for our exceptional brands – Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI,” said Ms Symonds.

“Our presence at this trade exhibition, where we’ll be promoting the best of Scotland’s natural larder, is hugely important as we look to grow our red meat exports across Canada and create some exciting opportunities for our beef and sheep producers,” she added.

Attendance at the show is financed by the £2 million fund of AHDB red meat levies ring-fenced for collaborative projects which is managed by the three meat levy bodies – AHDB, HCC and QMS.

The ring-fenced fund is an interim arrangement while a long-term solution is sought on the issue of levies being collected at point of slaughter in England, for animals which have been reared in Scotland or Wales.