US Beef

rosecarmel. Some facts would help. What % of beef cattle in the US are 1) raised organically, 2) grass reared only, 3) raised on feed lots or in barns. What % of feed lot raised cattle are never routinely dosed with antibiotics as a prophlactic measure.

I only buy meat thats locally sourced.On the odd day that I have to get meat for unexpected visitors and its from asupermarket I buy ONLY meat that has a Saltire on the label .That way I know where its from and how its been treated.I f you dont want to eat it dont buy it .
.Leave it on the shelf and support your local farmer

I hardly ever eat beef and I buy mine from a local butcher too (so I'm alright Jack ;-)). However, people on a very strict budget, maybe with a family to feed, don't have that luxury. I know when my children were little and I was making spag bol or shepherd's pie, I just bought (almost) the cheapest mince I could find. I didn't buy the very cheapest because I learnt my lesson a couple of times and it was very fatty. In the end, it's the poorest who will end up with low quality beef, which is why it's so important that minimum standards are enforced.

I don't really know enough about this latest move to know what it's all about, but anything which makes the source of food less transparent is not good.

Monica you seemed to have appointed yourself an expert on all things US -- UK , EU ...etc .. maybe all things period-

I pointed you to the USDA website for facts- They offer monthly data- But it appears facts aren't enough for you-

Do you need to know what the actual percentage of grass fed beef is to believe that "some" cattle in the US are grass fed?

You approached Trump's racism in the same manner in another thread by claiming it is a fact that he is "more" racist than any of his predecessors- Yet the first anti-lynching law was passed in 2018-

Ah! I understand you now rose

Question

How can beef from the USA come through customs unheeded but beef from Ireland to the UK or vice versa needs to have border control when if and when the UK leaves the EU ?

Somebody please explain why a hard border is required between Ireland and Northern Ireland because we would be an Independent nation as the US.

What / where is the hard border for beef / meat /poultry etc. coming into the EU from US or indeed anywhere else at the moment for that matter if it applies.

The US and other countries do not sign up to the Customs Union and Single Market so how does their agricultural goods get through if not by technogy?

Somebody, anybody please explain where my logic is failing with detail not just snide comment of a personal nature.

I wish I could POGS but I'm totally lost here. I've lost track of where the sodding beef's going, and whether it's coming in or going out. Totally

I'll let them that want to worry about it, get on with it.

I think we are supposed to feel sorry for Irish farmers, but I can't remember why.

Well the EU has strict rules regarding the importation of meat from outside the EU. On November 1st this will include the U.K.

First the meat must be subjected to veterinary certification. This must be carried out by the country intending to export to the EU. The body must be a legally recognised authority.

The country exporting must be on the eligible list.

The relevant animal health standards must be adhered to.

The animal must be tested for residual veterinary medicines, heavy metals, pesticides and contaminates.
Other requirements are in place.

The meat can only enter the EU at a specified border inspection post. So NI beef being exported to RoI may have to enter the EU at a specific designated border say in France.

Every consignment is subject to a document check, identity check and physical check.

Consignment not found compliant may be destroyed or sent back.

There is a ban on individuals bringing meat and meat products into the EU from outside the EU.

Hard borders are unavoidable.

US beef will be subject to exactly the same rules.

So if for example a sample of the consignment shows contaminates the whole consignment will be returned or possibly destroyed.

There is nothing special about US beef in the way in will be treated.

All done to ensure the consumer gets a safe and quality product.

I would also hope that the U.K. has just as strict rules with regard to our imported meat products. In which case the imported meat will be subjected to the same checks, and a designated port seems sensible.

I think the beef the U.S. exports to UK/EU is solely grass fed- I could be mistaken-

Beef from one country gets shipped to other countries through other countries- For example, beef from Germany is shipped to Ireland then Ireland ships it to the UK- Yes/No?

Immaterial rose it is all from the EU and presumably compliant with US regs.

I predict that a vast % of Brits will just boycott US beef and other products too - especially if the NHS is 'attacked'.
I won't be buying any, for sure. We do need Laws, similar to Laws in many countries- which makes it compulsory for country of origin to be printed on packaging, in the stores, on ready made products (lasagna, beef burgers, etc) and on restaurant menus.

We will Jura post Brexit.

Country of origin I mean

Yeah. It only has to enter the EU the once. Once it's in, it can go on to other countries, so long as they are in the EU too, I think.

WW

"The meat can only enter the EU at a specified border inspection post. So NI beef being exported to RoI may have to enter the EU at a specific designated border say in France"
-

So there are 'borders' already then?

Where will the Inspection post be, if what you say is a fact, for US beef entering the EU?

I thought it was done through technology but happy to be informed.

jura

" I won't be buying any, for sure."
----

Will Switzerland / does Switzerland display country of origin on all meats/poultry etc. by law?

Please do not think that is ' having a go' at your place of residence it is a genuine question as Switzerland is not in the EU but has many bilateral agreements as we all know.

POGS - yes.

I cannot find a list of border inspection posts (BIP)

I don't know why the US wouldn't be held to the same import standards already in place after Brexit but I can't find proof-

I did discover that physical/hands on inspections aren't always conducted- The wording, to me, sounded as if they may be infrequent -

I found a PDF with information- It also has images of animals -

EU Import Conditions For Fresh Meat And Meat Products
European Commission europa.eu

Europa.eu>safety>eu>docs

There have always been specified borders for meat etc.
Imported meat has always (as it should be) been subject to check and control. I wouldn’t expect anything else.

I can list the the border control posts if you wish, but I’m unsure where this gets us.

I am not talking about post Brexit regarding U.K. meat imports. No one yet knows what the situation will be, but I would hope that the imported meat we consume is subject to the same rigorous standards as what we have now.

rosecarmel You are confusing me with someone else. I have never appointed myself an expert on any subject, least of all the USA, nor have I described Trump as more racist than any other President. I should thing some of your pre-bellum Presidents were more racist than Trump by modern standards.

In fact it is because I am not an expert on the USA that I asked you for the breakdown of the % of cattle raised by different methods

And yes, it does matter what proportion of cattle are raised in different ways. If 10% of your cattle are raised on lots compared with 85% raised on grass and 5% organic, that makes decisions about eating beef imported from the US very different form the situation where 85% are raised on lots with 10% grass reared and 5% organic.

Please could you post a link to the relevant USDA site.

My US friends tell me the majority of their beef is injected with growth hormones. This also applies to chicken (lamb is quite hard to find and not popular) and pork.

Personally, I wouldn't risk a single mouthful.

Monica, I apologize for confusing you with another member-

My point is that the percentage doesn't matter, not now and not after Brexit because the only beef the UK imports from the U.S. is grass fed- You can Google USDA, the site is extensive- If I remember correctly feed lot is high 90s, grass fed 3 or 4 and organic even less -

However .. I was reading that over the course of 10 years, (?) after Brexit, the majority of beef imported to the UK will come from the US-

The confusing part .. Is that I've no idea whose "grass fed" standards will apply .. Because after great effort to determine and define grass fed, those standards were withdrawn in 2016 .. As a result, US grass fed no longer implies 100% grass fed by USDA standard- Meaning they "can" be fed some whole grain and still be labeled grass fed- How much grain wasn't determined- But feed lot cannot be labeled grass fed ..

Further .. US beef can be labeled Product of U.S. even if raised outside of the country ..

I mean beef sold in the U.S. can be labeled product of U.S.even if the beef was imported ..