Recently, a friendly Beef Cook-Off was held at the British Embassy between the U.S. and the U.K. in an attempt to convince the British to offer access to U.S. Beef in the British market. Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, caught up with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association executive director of government affairs, Kent Bacus, who was involved with the competition.

“Right now, we don’t have a lot of exposure, there,” Bacus said. “We’re limited to only a few menus at London steakhouses. We see the U.K. as not only a good place to sell high-quality beef but to backfill some unmet demand within their market.”

According to Bacus, the U.K. is a culture that likes beef, which holds a traditional place at their tables. Currently, they use their domestic product and some Irish imports.

“I think we could grow beef demand and target some under-represented areas,” said Bacus. “However, building trust with those consumers will take time because we have had very little access.”

Marketing to a hesitant consumer base isn’t unusual for the NCBA team, as they have already won over Japan and Korea in similar situations.

Bacus said that 85% of U.S. beef stays within its borders, but it is important to reach foreign markets with the remaining 15%. Currently, most of it is sold across Asia and Latin America, adding $400 – $450 per head.

“We think it is very important for the United States to continue to advocate for increased market access around the world,” he stated. “It’s important that we can sell our beef overseas.”

He added that over the past few years, the U.S. government has stepped back from actively pursuing market access. “When it comes to removing tariff barriers, the U.S. government has been fairly absent. We really need to get back into the game and expand that market access across the world. We need the U.S. government to take an active role in setting these global standards for trade.”

Like so many Americans, Bacus is hoping for change with the next administration. He said, “We need to make sure it is the U.S. government that is helping lead these discussions because, in our absence, China and the European Union have stepped forward. That’s not good when you are talking about science-based food production. We need the U.S. to take the lead and continue to advocate.”

The U.S.’s leadership in foreign markets benefits cattle producers by increasing market reach and foreign demand for U.S. beef.

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR at the top of the story for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

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