British beef exports to the Philippines are expected to complement other sources such as the US and Australia.
“It is good to have it reestablished in the Philippines. It’s rather been a long time and it’s likely we are starting over again,” UK trade envoy to the Philippines Richard Graham said in a briefing Wednesday.
Britain plans to export about €34 million worth of beef exports annually. It exports about €350 million or roughly $500 million million worth of beef to the world.
Negotiations for the re-export of British beef to the Philippines took eight to nine years following a series of accreditation process and hygienic certification for British cow farms.
“What is significant here is the incredible factor of symbolism. Beef is a big part of our psyche. It is nice that the Philippines has decided to include British beef among its niche exports,” Graham said.
The Philippine Animal Bureau and the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs agreed to resume British beef trade on August 9, 2017.
British Embassy trade and investment director Mike Moon said UK had successfully passed the system wide accreditation procedure required by the Philippine Agriculture Department.
The British government said UK had been free from the mad cow disease a long time ago, that it was only the Philippines that took time to reestablish connections to the UK beef sector.
The UK has been exporting to Southeast Asia in the last few years. Singapore and Tokyo were among the big markets for British beef.
British beef will cater to upscale markets as a niche product.