Call to target Latin America
Call to target Latin America
UK AGRI-BUSINESSES have been urged to boost exports to Latin America in a bid to close a £400m trade deficit.
MAFF held a one-day seminar in London last week for more than 200 agri-businesses to encourage further investment. This followed a trade mission to Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru last autumn.
Tony Baldry, MAFF minister of state, said the delegation had identified a range of joint ventures, including post-harvest technology, specialised equipment, livestock improvement, farm management, education and training.
Henry Lewis, Meat and Livestock Commission export marketing manager, said that he hoped the UKs livestock industry would be able to take advantage of a huge jump in semen sales in Brazil once the worldwide beef products ban was lifted.
Pig breeding companies, such as the Pig Improvement Company and JSR Healthbred, are already at the forefront of development work in Brazil.
But Daniel Olley, business development manager for livestock stunning equipment firm Accles and Shelvoke, said that Latin America was proving to be a tough market to crack even though it slaughters 50m cattle a year. This was partly due to franchise difficulties. *