BRITISH lamb could be on American menus for the first time in 25 years, Liz Truss hopes.
The International Trade Secretary is to personally appeal to the White House to lift the US ban.
Ending it will help unlock a trade bonanza — and give the Yanks world-class grub, she will say. Speaking ahead of her US tour, Ms Truss said: “I’ll be pushing British interests hard to get this decades-old ban lifted.
“There’s a huge untapped opportunity with the US market. Scrapping this ban would support vital jobs and growth in our rural communities and allow our friends and allies in the US to have a taste of the world-class lamb our farmers produce.”
The US banned British lamb in 1989 over the mad cow disease panic.
Ministers are hopeful it can be overturned after the States lifted its beef ban last year.
That opened the door to up to £66million of exports. America is the world’s second-biggest lamb importer.
Rizvan Khalid, of Euro Quality Lambs, said: “The US is an exciting market. We have seen encouraging signals of demand for high-quality British meat.”
Ms Truss will talk to Deputy Agriculture Secretary Jewel Bronaugh in Washington DC.
She will also tour Silicon Valley to plug the UK’s role in creating tech unicorns — start-ups which have turned into huge businesses.
The minister will also hold talks with US Trade Representative Katherine Tai to discuss how to tackle Chinese steel dumping.
