Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) has said recent red meat export figures are “very encouraging”, and that there could be more to come as statistics indicate an internal decline in EU red meat production.
During Q1, Britain exported 27,150t of beef, up 3.7% on year earlier figures, with the value of exports up 0.7%.
85% went to the EU, with non-EU countries receiving 66% more and Hong Kong seeing an 84% increase on year earlier figures.
HCC said lamb exports also had a “healthy increase” in January and February and only fell in March due to increases in domestic demand.
Aside from this, export value in Q1 was up 13% and volumes were higher than both 2021 and 2022.
HCC market intelligence, research and development senior officer, Elizabeth Swancott, said:
“These figures, from HMRC, are very encouraging and it seems beef production, according to a EU Commission report, is expected to drop by 2.3% in 2024, due to the internal structural adjustments of the suckler and dairy herd.”
This follows a 2.8% decline in production in 2023, when the suckler numbers dropped by 160,000 head and the dairy herd by 344,000 head.
EU sheep meat production has also dropped by 5% following a longer-term scaling down- amounting to a reduction of 6 million head since 2019.
Supply shortfalls ‘offer opportunities’
“While it’s always difficult to gainsay the marketplace, any supply shortfalls offer potential opportunities for further UK exports to a major trading partner,” Swancott said.
“Alongside these positive beef opportunities, sheepmeat has scope with low availability, and resultant high prices, predicted to result in a 2.5% increase in exports to the EU throughout 2024.”
Swancott said underlying trends reflect a tight supply of lambs in all marketplaces, with less British lambs available for export and more lamb staying on the domestic market because of high demand in March.
“This was aided by the religious festivals of Easter, Eid al-Fitr and Ramadan, when lamb is traditionally eaten.
“Our largest trade partner in terms of exports- France- received an additional 13% supply from Britain on the year; a good sign for upcoming trade, as France now takes over half of total export volume with around 54%.”
