For the first time in five years, duty-free shipments of U.S. beef are on the way to the United Kingdom. The first products arrived last month after the UK created a 13,000 metric ton duty-free quota for U.S. beef. Dan Halstrom is the president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. He said U.S. beef faced a disadvantage after the UK left the European Union.
“In 2020, when the UK left the EU under Brexit, it really provided a real challenging dilemma for UK trade, because they’re then having to pay an incremental duty to come in from the U.S. We were at a disadvantage, without a doubt. Granted, high-quality U.S. beef carries a great reputation and does demand a premium, but this is a premium that should go in our producers’ pockets. So this is really a landmark agreement to carve out 13,000 metric tons at zero-duty quota for U.S. beef. You look at what our values were into the UK in 2024, and five, we were $30 million to $40 million. This could easily be $150 million to $200 million once it gets implemented and going.”
Halstrom said a couple of events in London will mark the return of U.S. beef to the market.
“Well, the Wednesday event is really a milestone in terms of celebrating at the high levels of government. We are planning a second event on Thursday, which will be a broader swath of the trade, and we’re holding this event at Smith & Wollensky, one of the renowned steakhouses in the U.S., and they do have several locations outside the U.S., including in London. So this will be our chance to showcase U.S. beef at its finest, because foodservice really is our mainstay, right? Foodservice is where the reputation just is at its best. It’s also the introduction to a lot of consumers, with the ultimate goal that we can then expand further into retail.”
The two events were made possible through support from USDA, the Beef Checkoff Program, and state beef councils from Nebraska, South Dakota, and Texas.