The trilateral effects of post-brexit UK meat imports: Economic, environmental, and animal welfare

Abstract

The UK government is seeking new food trade partners post-Brexit, with a focus on international meat trade to ensure supply chain stability while minimizing economic, environmental, and social damages. A UK Meat Trade-centred World Input-Output Model (UK-MTWIO) is developed with an innovative RAS method to assess the multiple impacts of different meat import scenarios. The results highlight the interdependence of meat types within the UK agricultural sector and the effects on other countries. Environmentally, most scenarios show the potential for reducing GHG emissions in the global agricultural sector. As for animal welfare, the UK can get higher animal welfare performance under beef import scenarios but suffer animal welfare losses with other scenarios. These findings underscore the intricate relationship between environmental, economic, and animal welfare impacts of global food trade. Policymakers should take a comprehensive approach and collaborate with all trading partners toward a more ethical and sustainable future.