Pork exports from Spain, when compared to 10 years ago, have more than double the volume as the last six months saw a continual trend of significant growth for local pig producers, according to AHDB Pork.

Shipments increase 15% year-on-year to a record 584,600 tonnes in the January-June period of this year.

Exports to China registered the biggest growth, up by more than a half, while South Korea-bound deliveries jumped by three-quarters.

Still, when it comes to exports to the UK, deliveries were painfully slow, with just over 19,000 tonnes fulfilled over the last 12 months.

AHDB Pork attributes rising exports to higher productions in Spain as local demand was restrained by "economic difficulties of recent years". Hence, most of Spain's pork output ended up in the export front. 

In the meantime, unit prices for exported Spanish pork were 7% lower for January-June, 2015, compared to the same period last year.