UK took 29% more beef from Brazil in first quarter

FIGURES from Customs and Excise in the UK reveal that in the first quarter of 2005, imports of Brazilian beef rose by 29%, while J Sainsbury, one of the largest supermarket chains, said it has almost doubled its South American beef sales.

The jump in imports has obvious consequences for the Irish beef industry, which relies on the UK market for nearly half its sales.

South American beef is widely blamed for the unprecedented summer beef price slump hitting farmers in Ireland and the UK. But the UK’s leading meat processor has downplayed its role.