Scotch Lamb could soon be served in restaurants in Kuwait thanks to a new trade deal announced by Defra minister George Eustice.
The deal, which could be worth up to £15million to the UK economy every year, was unveiled by Mr Eustice during a trip to the Gulf to promote British food and drink.
Mr Eustice said three major UK suppliers were already set to benefit from the five-year deal, which effectively re-opens the market for British lamb to Kuwait, with shipments set to leave soon.
He said the lamb exports will add to existing food and drink sales to the region, which were worth £625million last year.
“British lamb has a fantastic reputation around the world for its taste and quality and I’m delighted that this export success will now be available for diners in Kuwait,” added Mr Eustice.
“This move to re-open the market for UK-produced lamb is another example of how we are working hard to tap into new international markets and build stronger relationships with trading partners around the world.”
Total lamb exports from the UK were worth £330million in 2016, which is up from £300million the year before.
Jean Pierre Garnier, who heads up export trade development at UK farm levy body AHDB, said there was a high level of appetite from Kuwaiti importers and distributors for British lamb.
He said: “We are committed to expanding sales of meat and dairy products in the Gulf region and support the Government’s export work. Our presence at the important Gulfood exhibition with meat and dairy stands testifies our willingness to grow sales and open new markets.”
Red meat levy body Quality Meat Scotland welcomed the news.
A spokeswoman for the organisation said: “Kuwait is a market that imports around 20% of all the sheep meat it consumes – currently mainly from New Zealand and Australia – and sheepmeat is around four times as popular as it is in the UK.
“Gaining access to this market will create opportunities for Scottish exporters to widen their portfolio of customers and reduce their dependence on the EU market. This announcement by Defra is to be welcomed although we await final details of the legal requirements and protocols that will be required before shipments can take place.”
During his trip to the Gulf Mr Eustice also witnessed the signing of two memorandums of understanding allowing greater collaboration between the UK Government and Gulf on projects in aquaculture, fisheries, climate change and marine environments.
