Written question asked by Andrew Rosindell (Conservative) on Wednesday, 12 October 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 17 October 2011. It was answered by James Paice (Conservative) on Monday, 24 October 2011 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Meat: Exports and Imports

Question: (2) whether she has any plans to discuss with foreign governments the lifting of restrictions on the importation of British offal products.

Answer: The Government are taking a number of steps to increase exports of food, including meat and offal.The UK Trade and Industry strategy and DEFRA's business plan both contain commitments. During his recent visit to Russia, the Prime Minister personally placed discussions about lamb and beef exports high on the agenda, illustrating the priority the Government attach to the issue.DEFRA works closely with a number of partners to identify and target resources on key market negotiations about animal and public health issues for countries outside the European Union. These partners include industry and foreign governments as well as other Government Departments in the UK. I am delighted to say that exports of meat and meat products rose in the first half of 2011 by 15%.The rising figure is the comparison with the same period in 2010.

Secondary information