March 28, 2012

 

UK January meat exports not as good as in 2011

 

 

New figures have shown that UK's exports of beef, pork and lamb soared in 2011, but shipments for January were more muted with pig meat recording the only rise.

 

The statistics, released through the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board from HM Revenue and Customs and GTIS, show beef exports hitting their highest annual level since the full re-opening of world markets in 2006 after the BSE crisis.

 

The bulk of the 142,688 tonnes shipped out at 137,149 tonnes went to Europe, with the Netherlands accounting for 56,496 and Ireland 34,543 and France 13,480.

 

The trade in 2010 was 110,120 tonnes, a 26,838 increase on 2009. Sales outside Europe in 2011 totalled 5,539 tonnes, more than double the 2,302 achieved in 2009.

 

January's beef exports at 8,253 tonnes were down 20% on-year; largely the result of an 11% decline in UK production.

 

Shipments fell to all EU countries, but frozen (beef) sales were up thanks to new trade links with French Polynesia and Ghana. Overseas sales of mutton and lamb over 2011 were up 10,277 tonnes to 99,334 tonnes, a figure comparable with the 96,105 tonnes achieved in 2009.

 

France was the biggest market at 59,965 tonnes. That was up 2,470 on 2010, but down on the 64,433 achieved in 2009. Germany, Ireland and Italy all bought more lamb in 2011 than in 2010 and 2009, but shipments to Belgium at 6,263 were well back on the 8,491 of 2010 and 9,757 of 2009. Non-European markets bought 5,834 tonnes.

 

Vietnam led purchases at 2,627 tonnes followed by Hong Kong at 1,527 and Switzerland at 402.

 

Exports of mutton and lamb in January were down 5% at 6,657 tonnes. Sales to France dropped 6%, while to Ireland they were crashed 25% because of increased production there which saw Irish imports to the UK surge by half. Volume to Germany and Belgium was up 2% and 11%, respectively.

 

Imports into the UK were down by one-third, reflecting the weak consumer demand which saw sales of certain sheep meat cuts plummet over 2011.

 

Imports from New Zealand during January were down 26%. But the world's biggest lamb exporter managed to increase sales to China, France, Germany, America and Saudi Arabia.

 

Pork and bacon and ham exports recorded a 22,669-tonne increase to 178,505 tonnes. Pork made up 144,433 tonnes of that, a 13,079 on-year rise. Europe was the biggest market for British pork at 105,969, with Germany the dominant destination at 31,739, following by Ireland at 25,381 and the Netherlands at 19,611. But sales to each were all down on 2010.

 

The real bright spot was in markets outside Europe which recorded a 14,260-tonne rise to 38,454. Sales to Hong Kong surged 9,299 tonnes to 26,610, while China bought 4,003 tonnes, a 2,034 tonne rise. The US also bought 2,223 tonnes.

 

Pork exports in January were up 2% to 10,200 tonnes, with sales to Belgium, South Korea, Sweden, Singapore, Spain and South Africa all posting increases.

 

Frozen shipments showed a 17% gain, making up for a 4% fall in fresh and chilled sales. Sales of pig offal, such as trotters, were up 50% to 2,500 tonnes.

 

Quality Meat Scotland does not have separate figures available for Scottish sales.