ROG WOOD
LEADERS of the EU's beef industry have welcomed the news that Canada has reopened its market to European beef after lifting the ban that was imposed in 1996 following an outbreak of BSE.
Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said: "It's good news that European beef exports from 19 member states will be able to resume and that Canada recognises that the EU will be able to operate as a single entity with uniform and harmonised rules. It shows Canada's commitment to the recent free trade deal between the EU and Canada.
"Farmers and agri-cooperatives are facing a very difficult time at the moment and it's important to find new market outlets.
"I hope that trade can also start with 9 other member states that are making applications, and I believe that the Commission is working on this."
Cabinet Secretary for Food and Rural Affairs Richard Lochhead said: "This is excellent news for Scottish farmers and the red meat industry, and a real show of confidence towards quality Scottish produce. There is a growing appetite for premium produce with a strong sense of Scottish provenance, such as our fantastic Scotch Beef, and lamb which is already approved for export to the Canadian market, and this is a great opportunity for our food and drink sector to continue to flourish."
Also welcoming the news, NFU Scotland's Livestock Policy Manager John Sleigh added a cautionary warning: "This is a step in the right direction as the sector looks to boost exports. The door is open, so now the hard work of getting beef across the pond needs to start.
"We need a strong export strategy to ensure we can compete on the shelves in Canada."
Market round-up
C&D Auction Marts Ltd sold 15 prime heifers in Dumfries on Wednesday to a top of 218.5p per kg and an average of 205.8p.
There were 80 OTM cattle presented in the rough ring when beef cows averaged 123.7p and dairy cows levelled at 89.3p.
The firm also sold 1290 prime lambs to a top of £74 per head and 176p per kg to average 145.3p (+6.6p on the week).
The 529 cast sheep forward saw heavy ewes sell to £93.50 for Texels and average £61.93 (+£3.57), while light ewes peaked at £67.50 for Cheviots and levelled at £44.79 (+£4.94).
Messrs Craig Wilson Ltd sold 1195 prime lambs in Newton Stewart on Wednesday to a top of £73 and 175p to average 139.2p (+6p).
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here