Farmers' fury as Tesco ships in beef from U.S. as embargo ends

By Sean Poulter


Under cut: Tesco is able to buy the Black Angus meat for a fraction of the price of genuine Aberdeen Angus (herd pictured above) and can still make a profit


Tesco is importing fresh beef 4,000 miles from the U.S. in a step that has infuriated British farmers.

The Black Angus beef, sold as sirloin and rib-eye steaks, is a direct competitor to Aberdeen Angus and will undercut it on price.

It comes from farms in the state of Minnesota. Carcasses are chilled before being transported by sea to cutting plants here.


Tesco’s decision comes against a background of evidence that British farms do not produce enough beef to feed the nation.

It is significant because it effectively ends an embargo on imports of fresh beef from the U.S. which has been in place since 1989.

There were concerns over American farming methods, particularly the use of hormone injections to speed growth.

The EU has a formal ban on beef produced using hormones.

There is evidence that consumption of residues in meat can cause genital abnormalities in boys, premature puberty in girls and raise the risk of some cancers later in life.

Tesco insists it has ensured its U.S. beef has been produced without hormone injections.

American beef farmers also routinely feed their livestock GM soya and maize or corn, while there are no controls on the sale and use of the offspring of clones for food.

Tesco is able to buy the Black Angus meat for a fraction of the price of genuine
Aberdeen Angus and can still make a profit despite transport costs.

Its Black Angus sirloin has a list price of £22.99 a kilo, which compares to £23.99 for Aberdeen Angus sirloin at Waitrose.

British farmers only produce 64 per cent of the beef we eat. Most of the rest comes from Ireland, but also, increasingly,

Brazil and now, for the first time in many years, the U.S..

Oisin Murnion, chairman of the National Beef Association, said: ‘Farmers on this side of the Atlantic will be annoyed with Tesco.

‘It is extremely important that families buy British beef, not just for reasons of quality but also because it sustains a way of life and the countryside that is enjoyed by all.

‘Supermarkets are only interested in the profit they make this week, not the long-term future of farming and food in this country.

‘If they paid a decent farm gate price for beef, production would rise in this country to meet demand.’

Assurances: Tesco insists it has ensured its U.S. beef has been produced without hormone injections


The Black Angus breed can be traced back to a small number of Aberdeen Angus cattle that were exported across the Atlantic by immigrant farmers in the 1870s.

The idea of importing beef from America is at odds with the drive to support local food and efforts to cut down on food miles and the associated transport costs and emissions.

Tesco said: ‘The animals are all U.S. Department of Agriculture certified and have been fed a diet of grass and corn. The beef is hormone-free and not derived from cloned animals.’


source:dailymail