ABSTRACT
Although much of the change that took place in the industry from 1945 onwards was driven by shifts in consumer demand, and another significant factor has been changes in governments' attitudes towards measures of control and regulation for the industry. By 1945 most of the trade in livestock was still very localised and for the most part confined to short distances. Both livestock farmers and livestock shipping firms lobbied for its protection and assistance, whereas animal welfare groups and domestic meat processors each wanted the trade stopped. In December 1997 the United States took steps to ban all beef imports from Europe, just as it had done with beef from Britain in 1989, and from January 2001 Australia and New Zealand both banned beef imports from anywhere in the EU. Although the primary purpose of the new order was to regulate the movement of animals within the United Kingdom, there was an attempt to cater for the trade to Europe.
