A POSITIVE look at a post-Brexit red meat trade will be based on a focus of “provenance and credibility”, according to keynote speakers at at a major conference near Hexham.

The Livestock Auctioneers Association (LAA) and Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS) met at Slaley Hall.

Addressing the challenges that will follow the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, speakers, including AHDB’s Phil Bicknell, Stuart Ashworth of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Rizvan Khalid of Euro Quality Lambs (EQL), agreed that food quality safeguards and quality standards will be key to the continued success and trading position of the UK livestock industry.

In a conference that included the General Assembly of the European Association of Livestock Markets (AEMB), UK and European, speakers talked of the opportunities, rather than challenges, that Brexit presents.

Taking questions from the floor, Stuart Ashworth, head of economics services at QMS, said price was not always the most important factor.

He said: “What Brexit has given us is an opportunity to position our product as one of provenance and credibility, and we should be looking at branding to differentiate ourselves from the cheaper alternatives that will no doubt enter the market in post-Brexit.”

Mr Bicknell, AHDB’s market intelligence director, said: “We know we face some uncertainties in policy and trade, but we know that a big advantage is that we have a relatively affluent UK population of 65 million who care about their food and where it comes from.”

Rizvan Khalid, EQL’s senior director, said the UK livestock sector has a huge opportunity in the Halal market.

He said: “In 2015, the global Halal spend was $1.2bn, and 16.6 per cent of total food expenditure. By 2021, this figure is expected to rise to $1.9 billion, representing a huge market potential for UK farmers.

“Combine this with the young demographic of the UK Halal market, 48 percent of Muslims in the UK are under 25 and 88 percent under 50, so you can see this is a fast-moving segment.”

EQL is the largest Muslim-owned lamb slaughterhouse in Europe, and Mr Khalid went on to give an overview of the additional opportunities in export markets for both Halal lamb and beef.

Chris Dodds, LAA executive secretary, said: “This conference once again demonstrates the high esteem in which the UK livestock industry is viewed internationally, and it is in our hands to seize the opportunity that the Brexit vote has presented to us.

“It was of great significance that we saw such a positive outlook from our auctioneers and industry partners, and the enthusiasm that was shown in embracing new opportunities will set the sector in good stead for the future.”

The conference programme included a visit to Hexham mart, and trips to a sheep and cattle farm in County Durham and a dairy herd in Slaley.