Meat exports 2008

Total UK exports of meat and related animal products grew 38.3% in 2008 to £1,226.0m. Lamb overtook poultry in 2008 to become the number one product sector, worth £263.0m, a rise of 43.9% on 2007 and driven primarily by 43.8% growth in exports to the key French market. France now accounts for 68.9% or £181.2m of UK lamb exports.

UK Exports of Meat (by product sector) - 2007-08 (£ million)

Source: Leatherhead Food International

However, higher rates of growth were seen in the beef sector, worth £212.7m, and including a 66.3% rise in chilled beef exports (including a 35.0% rise to £57.6m in exports to Ireland, and a 73.7% rise to £55.0m in exports to the Netherlands – the two key markets) and a 91.5% rise in frozen beef exports (including a 151.4% rise to £14.5m in exports to Ireland).

British pork exports grew 52.6% to a value of £134.6m including a 52.6% rise to Germany, as well as large hikes in UK pork shipments to Hong Kong (+362.5% and now a market worth £11.3m) and China (+2483.3% to £1.8m).

Exports of sausages, albeit small at £13.8m, have been consistently growing in recent years and were up 19.5% in 2008 (Ireland and Spain being key markets). Other prepared meat products (mainly prepared poultry and pork products) were +17.2% to £198.6m (26.1% growth to Ireland and 102.2% growth to the Netherlands).

France remained the key destination of British meat in 2008, accounting for a 27.0% share in total and seeing growth of 41.8%. Indeed, most of the growth in the sector has been driven by the rebounding key markets of Western Europe (Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Denmark, make up the other 7 countries of the top 8).

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