Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's priorities are in the negotiations with China concerning the export of meat products other than pork.

Securing access to Chinese markets for a range of UK products is a key priority in the Government and industry's Export Action Plan. In addition to our interests on pork, we are working closely with industry and the Chinese authorities to advance negotiations on the export conditions for poultry meat. This trade could be worth up to £70 million a year.

Over the longer term, we are working to secure market access for beef and lamb exports to China estimated to be worth up to £120 million a year. We have recently agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese authorities and this formally initiates the detailed technical negotiations. This development has been widely welcomed by industry, and whilst the negotiations are likely to take some time we will seek to conclude them as quickly as we can.

We are also pressing for early agreement on exports of UK poultry meat and have invited the Chinese authorities to conduct an inward inspection visit as soon as possible. I would encourage any plant interested in exporting to China to ensure it complies fully with Chinese requirements before any inspection visit.

The Secretary of State intends to visit China again this year to advance these and other UK market access interests.