UK's red meat exports report strong start this year
The total value of beef, lamb and pork exports has risen above the £487 million ($640.8 million) mark between January and May 2018.
The latest HMRC figures, according to AHDB, indicate that the strongest performance in the mentioned period was reported by the fresh and frozen beef shipments which rose 18% in value, "with the lion’s share destined for Ireland, the Netherlands and France, worth more than £120 million ($157.9 million) combined."
Regarding pork shipments, here AHDB noticed a "small dip in volume", but there still was an increase of 3% in value. China was the main importer of UK pork and accounted for 22% of the total export volume.
Although decreasing in volume, AHDB says the sheep meat exports still increased slightly in value by 1% to £145 million ($190.8 million), "driven by high lamb prices."
In this category, France was UK's largest importer of sheep. The value of these shipments reached £61 million ($80.2 million) this year.
Moreover, AHDB says the average value per tonne of sheep meat exports in the year to May has risen ten per cent on year-earlier levels.
Jonathan Eckley, AHDB Senior Exports Manager for livestock said: “It has been a good start to the year for the UK’s red meat exports despite many challenges we have faced which includes tight supplies for sheep meat, which has driven up lamb prices.
“Also, demand for pig meat in China has slowed this year, which has created a tough environment for our exports but we continue to work hard to maintain our presence in this all-important market.
“2018 has seen AHDB exports working in a number of international markets to ensure that we showcase high-quality beef, lamb and pork products to global importers in existing and new markets. Further, the UK has been successful in gaining recent approval for exports to Philippines and Saudi Arabia, gaining wider pork access and the lifting of the beef ban in China.”
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