American Pork Knocking on the Door: UK Pig Industry Raises Concerns Over Market Access

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Despite a direct intervention from former U.S. President Donald Trump, American pork producers have not yet gained access to the lucrative UK market. However, the UK’s National Pig Association (NPA) warns that U.S. efforts to enter the British pork market are far from over.

The newly established trade deal between the UK and the U.S. includes reciprocal duty-free export quotas for 13,000 tonnes of beef and 1.4 billion litres of American ethanol to the UK. Yet, as the NPA stresses, no such access has been granted for pork: “From the pig sector’s perspective, nothing has changed so far. Despite heavy lobbying and a last-minute call from the U.S. President to the UK Prime Minister, American pork is still excluded from the UK market. Meanwhile, UK pork exports to the U.S. continue to face a 10% tariff.”

However, the agreement includes a provision that states the UK “intends to reduce its applied tariff rates on a preferential basis” for U.S. products in sectors deemed important by the U.S. “Make no mistake — U.S. pork is a priority for American negotiators, especially given the personal involvement of President Trump,” the NPA emphasizes.

The association insists that any future access for U.S. pork must be contingent on meeting the same standards that British farmers are required to follow. “Certain production practices used in the U.S. have long been illegal in the UK. Allowing such imports would not only undermine the progress British farmers have made in animal welfare and sustainability, but also put them at a competitive disadvantage due to lower U.S. production costs,” the NPA says.

The association is calling on the UK government to uphold the principle of equivalence in standards across all trade deals. “We must not undermine British farmers or outsource food production to countries with weaker sustainability and animal welfare frameworks,” the NPA concludes.


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