US market opens up for beef from Northern Ireland

Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC) chief executive Ian Stevenson believes the news that two local red meat processors have been certified to export beef to the United States will have very positive implications for the local livestock sector as a whole.

He said: “This week’s developments represent the culmination of five years’ work on the part of the UK Export Certification Partnership.

“The membership groupings within this organisation include the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, LMC and the Northern Ireland Meat Exporters Association.

“Getting access to any new market is a painstaking process including detailed inspections of our processing plants, a thorough investigation of our traceability systems and an assessment of our BSE status.