UK lamb load cleared to return after French blockade

A £650,000 shipment of British lamb seized in Calais will now be allowed to return to the UK, following urgent discussions between the UK and French chief veterinary officers.

The decision ends a three-week standoff that left four lorryloads of lamb carcasses stranded at the border in France and facing destruction.

See also: Calais standoff sees £650,000 of UK lamb seized

A UK government spokesman confirmed: “We are working closely with French authorities and the companies involved to resolve this situation immediately.

“We are negotiating an SPS [Sanitary and Phytosanitary] agreement that will boost food trade and remove border checks while protecting our collective biosecurity.”

Days of pressure

The breakthrough came after days of pressure from exporters, industry groups and farmers.

West Scottish Lamb, an export abattoir based in Carlisle whose product makes up the consignment, said it received confirmation of the news from the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (Aims) on Wednesday afternoon (10 December).

A spokesman for the company said: “We have received a message from Aims confirming that our lorries will be cleared to return to the UK with lamb carcasses.

“Of course, we can try and trade the lamb we have got left. But it’s a disadvantage to us because they are going to be worth a lot less due to the time they were out in France. However, something is better than nothing.”

He added: “It looks like the French authorities were going to completely write off this whole consignment.

“If Gareth Wyn Jones had not raised this issue on social media and had not alerted Farmers Weekly, we would have lost £600,000 to £700,000 worth of lamb carcasses.”

The lamb was rejected after French border inspectors reportedly found traces of wool on individual carcasses – despite them being stamped as fit for human consumption by meat inspectors in the UK on behalf of the Food Standards Agency.

One of the four loads has been stranded for three weeks and is likely unsalvageable due to having exceeded the viable time limit for chilled export meat, but the company hopes the remaining three can still be cleared for sale on return.

“If we can donate 400 carcasses to a charitable cause, we will do. We will stand by our word,” the spokesman added.

Industry reaction

The dispute has reignited concerns about post-Brexit regulatory divergence.

Liz Webster, founder of Save British Farming, said: “Our lamb was not rejected because of wool. It was blocked because Europe no longer recognises the UK’s inspection regime as reliably aligned with its own.

“The government is misleading farmers by pretending an SPS deal is around the corner. It isn’t possible unless ministers abandon their US and India ambitions.

“Until the UK chooses one direction or the other, exporters will keep facing delays, seizures and devastating losses like the lamb shipment in Calais.”