WALES' farming unions have welcomed reports of a long-standing ban on exports of British lamb to the US being lifted, paving the way for PGI Welsh lamb to cross the Atlantic to customers in America.

The United States has had a ban on British lamb imports since the late 1980s owing to rules around TSE (BSE controls), but the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has now said that those restrictions could soon be lifted.

It has been estimated that such a move could provide a boost of up to £20million a year for the Welsh sheep sector within five years of those restrictions being removed.

NFU Cymru livestock board chairman Wyn Evans said: “After being shut out of the US market for over 30 years, today’s reports that Welsh sheep farmers may soon be able to access this potentially lucrative marketplace are welcome news for the sector. We certainly want to see this ban lifted so that trade can resume as soon as possible."

The Farmers' Union of Wales has long discussed the prospect of lifting what it described as an 'unjustified ban' in various meetings over the past decade.

Speaking from his Carmarthenshire sheep farm, FUW deputy president Ian Rickman, said: “Now more than ever we need to explore other export markets while also protecting our long established markets in Europe. The US market is one we are keen to develop much stronger relationships with and the news that this ban could soon be lifted is most welcome news for our sheep industry.”