THE BRITISH beef industry could look to benefit from an estimated £230 million following a historic UK-China agreement which was announced on Friday, October 18.

British beef is to be served up on Chinese dinner plates for the first time in over 20 years – since a ban was imposed by China following the BSE outbreak in 1996.

Following close inspections, Chinese authorities have confirmed that UK beef producers meet all the necessary standards to export to their market, marking the final step in securing this new agreement.

The Chinese authorities have cleared four beef sites for export in the first instance – with further sites under review – and the first exports are expected to be shipped in the next few months.

Defra secretary Theresa Villiers said: “Sealing this landmark agreement with China is huge news for our world-renowned food and farming industry, meaning more people across the globe can enjoy British beef.

“Today’s milestone marks another step towards unlocking the industry’s full potential and reflects our ambition to maximise trading opportunities for British produce across the world as the UK leaves the EU”.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss added: “Chinese diners can now enjoy the best beef in the world. I’m delighted that our dedicated UK producers can now sell quality products to one of the world’s largest economies, supporting local jobs and bringing millions of pounds to the UK economy each year.

“This is another step forward in realising our global trading ambitions with unbeatable British food. As we leave the European Union, we will continue to break down market access barriers to make it easier for UK businesses to trade across the world.”

AHDB International Market Development Director Dr Phil Hadley concluded:

“This is a great end to a very successful year for our red meat exports. This new agreement is fantastic news for our beef processors who will now have access to another market outside of the EU. We look forward to seeing the first shipments of beef arrive in China and hope to replicate the success of our pork exports in the beef sector.”

The announcement comes after China recently approved five British pork plants to export products to China, which will build on a market which is already worth £70 million per year.