British cooked poultry products from May PArk’s premises in Grantham will soon reach Japanese tables thanks to a new market access deal that will benefit UK farmers, meat processers, and exporters. The industry estimates that this market could be worth over £10 million in the next five years.
UK poultry meat has been exported to Japan since a market access deal for fresh and cooked poultry was secured in 2021, but Avian Influenza outbreaks in the UK have led to restrictions on the trade.
The new agreement enables smoother trade of cooked poultry meat, meaning that additional high-value exports to Japan can be made. Moy Park, one of the UK’s largest poultry meat producers, is the first to be officially registered to export cooked poultry to Japan under this agreement from one of its facilities in Grantham.
Japan is renowned internationally for its stringent food safety and import control regime, as well as for its taste for high-quality, varied cuts of meats. The opening of this market for UK cooked poultry products demonstrates Japan’s confidence in the high standards of UK poultry production methods.
Negotiations were led by Defra and their Agriculture Attaché and colleagues based at the British Embassy in Tokyo, with support from the British Poultry Council, South Kesteven District Council, and the Food Standards Agency.
Ayeisha Kirkham, Head of Service (Public Protection) at South Kesteven District Council said: “The district council has overseen food hygiene regulation at Moy Park in Grantham, one of Lincolnshire’s largest employers, for several decades. It has been a pleasure working with the company and other agencies to help them satisfy the high expectations of the Japanese officials who visited the site.
“Supporting economic growth and local businesses is a priority for the council, including global food export at a time when import and export has presented national challenges.”
Beatriz Curran, International Business Development Manager at Moy Park said: “We are incredibly proud to be the first UK business set to benefit from this fantastic export opportunity. As a company, we are wholly focused on the highest standards of food safety, integrity and animal welfare and so we are thankful to collaborate with industry and partners to successfully reach this new market.
“With the momentum from this progress, we are confident that we can grow this export opportunity even further across our facilities given the technical excellence, focus and energy of our talented team and partners.”
