March 10, 2016

UK export success for beef cuts and offal cited

Exports of UK beef cuts and offal were the stand-out successes of 2015, according to AHDB Beef & Lamb, a division of the Agriculture & Horticultural Development Board.

AHDB Beef & Lamb said beef cuts accounted for 86% (86,000 tonnes) of exports last year, compared with 75% (84,448) in 2014, adding that it underlined AHDB Beef & Lamb's strategy to move away from exporting carcases to higher-priced cuts.

Exports of beef offal last year were up 8.1% in volume from 2014, with a 26% increase to non-EU markets.

UK beef exports as a whole were up 11% year-on-year at 100,400 tonnes, despite the marginal increase in production. Shipments of sheep meat offal were up 36% with a near threefold increase to non-EU markets and further improvements were also seen in sales of cuts and pre-packed lamb.

Jean-Pierre Garnier, export manager for AHDB Beef & Lamb, said: "It's encouraging to see the strong performance of cuts and offal in what was undoubtedly a challenging year for exports of beef and lamb".

"Our long-term strategy of moving towards adding value to the sector with a focus on the export of cuts rather than carcases is bearing fruit, as is our commitment to cultivating markets for offals which have limited value and appeal domestically", he added.

In 2012 AHDB Beef & Lamb coordinated a trade mission to South Africa and last year, beef offal volumes to that market were up significantly, it said. A mission to the Ivory Coast took place in 2013, with similar results, it added.

Garnier said, "The examples of both South Africa and the Ivory Coast clearly demonstrate the success of our approach in adding value to the beef and lamb sector. Our ambition is to continue building on these successes and to continue to add value to the sector through our export development world as we move forwards in 2016 and beyond."