Russia to lift ban on British beef and lamb imports

Russia has agreed to ease a 16-year ban on the import of British beef and lamb, a move which is expected to contribute £80m to the UK food and farming industry over the next three years.

The UK government expects to receive an official written confirmation and the full details of the agreement from Russian officials over the next few days.

The British negotiation team was led by Nigel Gibbens, chief veterinary officer of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) – the department responsible for policy and regulations for food in the UK.

Russia had imposed a ban on British beef and lamb following an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the UK in 1996.

Following this, the UK implemented strict controls, which led to the virtual disappearance of the disease from the country.

UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said that British food is known globally for the use of quality ingredients, reliable traceability, and rigorous production standards.

"This deal is further evidence of international confidence in what British producers have to offer," Paterson added.

The export agreement marks another success for the UK food and farming industry this year – in May, Defra helped secure a £50m agreement to export British pork to China.

In line with the government’s ongoing commitment to support the country’s entrepreneurs, Paterson headed a delegation of British food and drink businesses on a visit to China.

During the trip, he promoted UK food and drink firms to more than 30,000 potential importers at the Food and Hotel China Exhibition, the largest food trade fair in China.

In addition, he conducted several meetings that were aimed at resolving issues including counterfeiting of Scotch Whisky imports and accelerating customs and health certification processes.

The UK food and farming industry contributes about £89m to the economy and employs 3.5 million people. In 2011, food and drink exports rose by 9% to £18.2bn, marking the seventh successive year of growth.