Today [Wednesday] saw the first shipments of British beef leave the UK for the EU since the foot and mouth crisis struck the UK 19 months ago.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


The first carcasses for export left a processing facility in south Wales bound for the Netherlands. However, the BBC reported that the containers of meat were being labelled ‘Welsh’ instead of ‘British’ in a bid to deflect attention from the still stigmatised British beef. However, those who followed the outbreak closely will know that farms in Wales were as badly affected as those in other areas of Great Britain.


Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy described the deal as great news for the Welsh farming industry – and for Britain. “Not only is this the first export order of British beef since the foot and mouth outbreak,” he said, “but it is also the first time that exported beef will bear the Welsh Beef logo”.


The last confirmed case of foot-and-mouth was recorded on 20 September 2001. During the outbreak, six million animals were slaughtered and exports of British beef were banned.


 

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact