The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has signed a £100m deal with Russia to export beef and lamb to the latter in the next three years.
The deal, which was finalized by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, marks the end of an 18th year ban on British beef and lamb imposed by Russia following the outbreak of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the mid 1990s.
It includes a £7m contract for lamb meat and a further £2m contract for beef offal.
Paterson said, "This is a credit to our vets and producers who have all worked amazingly hard to meet the required export standards. With the inclusion of offal as part of the deal, the gates of opportunity are now well and truly open for our meat industry."
"The progress we have made is testament to the high standards of production and traceability for which British products are famous. This deal is great news for farmers, exporters and the UK economy as a whole."
As part of the deal, ABP Dorset in Yetminster will supply lamb to a Russian distributor, worth £7m per year.
Other such deals are expected as the number of plants approved for export of lamb, beef offal and prime beef to Russia increases.
