Suppliers of haggis may well find that their sales increase in the next few years as the US ban on air imports of the product could well be lifted, a ban that has been in place since 1971 because some of the ingredients, such as sheep’s lungs, are prohibited in the country.
Richard Lochhead, rural affairs secretary for Scotland, has now confirmed that haggis could be sent to the US as soon as 2017 after changes to the rules are pushed in next year, the Glasgow Evening Times reports.
He and Lisa Mensah of the US Department of Agriculture, alongside representatives from the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, sat down to come up with draft rules due to be published in 2016, which could see Scotch lamb and haggis on sale in the US by 2017.
“Getting back into the US market in 2017 would unlock a huge market and millions of pounds of business for our Scotch lamb and haggis producers,” Mr Lochhead said, adding that approximately ten million citizens in the US claim Scottish heritage – so it could mean big business for suppliers in the UK.
There is even a petition on Change.org calling for the US haggis ban on imports to be lifted, which has so far garnered some 7,738 supporters. There are also hashtags that can be followed on social media for those keen to keep up with the campaign – simply search for #FreeTheHaggis and #HaggisforUS to see what’s going on and who’s saying what.