UK approved for beef exports to the Philippines
The UK has received approval to export beef to the Philippines, with Defra estimating the market to be worth £34m to the UK beef industry over the next five years.
Following a joint DAERA/DEFRA visit to the Philippines in March 2015, the Filipino authorities inspected UK beef controls in November 2016.
“DAERA continues to invest much time and energy into opening new markets to expand the agri food industry in Northern Ireland and this approval to export beef represents a further achievement,” said NI chief vet Robert Huey.
The Republic of Ireland gained market access to the Philippines for beef in 2014 with the southeast Asian country seen as a market mainly for manufacturing beef.
Huey said that factories in NI and Britain will be able to commence exports to the Philippines once Export Health Certificates have been agreed between DEFRA and officials in the Philippines.
Last month, NI and Scotland became the first regions of the UK to be formally endorsed by the European Union for beef with negligible risk BSE status. “This is further good news for our beef exporters,” Huey said on Wednesday.
