Meat Talk   /     Brexit could hit meat industry – and consumers – hard

The government ads have been impossible to miss on TV. “If you have a business and you haven’t taken the steps to prepare for Brexit, time is running out!”

Nick Allen, chief executive officer of the British Meat Processors Association

Unfortunately, the government has not taken its own advice, in particular when it comes to our meat industry.

As it stands today, it is just as easy for a Scottish Black Angus producer to ship beef to Italy as it is to Birmingham. From quality standards to the size of pallets, all is the same throughout the EU.

Come New Year’s Day, however, and this will all change as UK meat to the highly important EU market suddenly becomes an export item. Are vets in place to inspect this meat? Are the new labels and seals ready to be stamped on each side of beef. Has the Northern Ireland/Irish border been sorted?

While some excuse the government’s lack of preparation due to the pandemic, the situation we’ll be soon facing started well before any of us knew our Covids from our Coronas.

To explain all, Meat Talk is turning to Nick Allen, chief executive officer of the British Meat Processors Association.