AHDB research has proven that, for the primary six months of the yr, imports and exports of pig meat in the United Kingdom are in year-on-year decline.
Exports
While red meat exports in June noticed a small build up (+200 t) from Would possibly, there’s a 15% lower in comparison to June 2022. General pig meat exports for the six months of the yr are on the lowest ranges since 2015 (151,800 t).
Senior analyst at AHDB, Freya Shuttleworth, defined: “Within the first six months of the yr, all product classes have noticed year-on-year decline, excluding for processed pig meat the place volumes have build up by way of 1,000 t in 2023. The whole decline in export quantity is pushed by way of a dramatic fall in recent/frozen red meat. Volumes for this class are at their lowest since 2010, totalling 64,000 t Jan−Jun, a year-on-year decline of virtually 43,000 t (40%).
“The vital aid in home manufacturing shall be a dominant drive in the back of this really extensive exchange, paired with prime pig costs decreasing the cost competitiveness of UK product. Exports of offal, bacon and sausages have recorded smaller declines of one,900 t, 1,000 t and 500 t respectively.”
Exports to the EU have noticed a 26% (-23,400 t) decline year-on-year, with consignments to the broader international down by way of 39% (-18,300 t). Against this, China has simplest noticed a small aid of 6% (-3,500 t). Ms Shuttleworth defined: “This extra subdued decline in shipments is all the way down to 61% of imported product from the United Kingdom being made up of offal. Volumes of offal shipped to China have grown 16% yr on yr whilst volumes of clean/frozen red meat have declined by way of 26%.”
Imports
UK red meat imports in June noticed a year-on-year build up of five,000 t, on the other hand yr thus far (Jan-Jun) imports noticed a lower of 8% (-34,300 t) at 381,900 t. Of those declines, bacon noticed the most important (19%) lower, whilst processed pig meat was once down by way of 10% (6,000 t), recent/frozen red meat by way of 3% (5,500 t) and sausages by way of 3% ( 2,100 t) in comparison to final yr’s volumes.
Ms Shuttleworth defined that the declines in imports is because of various elements: “Eu pig meat manufacturing for the yr to this point (Jan−Would possibly) is sitting 9% in the back of final yr, following a an identical pattern to the United Kingdom, restricting the quantity of product to be had for export at the continent.
Added to this, Eu pig reference costs have noticed vital upwards motion because the new yr. This has closed the cost differential between UK and EU product, making EU imports to the United Kingdom costlier. On best of this, shopper call for stays destructive because of the cost-of-living disaster with volumes of pig meat bought in retail down 2.5% year-on-year (52 weeks finishing 9 July).”