20 April 2007

2 minute read

Europe

“As British beef finally returns to overseas menus, we have seen our food and drink exports reach an all time high,” said David McNair, Chief Executive of Food from Britain. “This heralds the end of a difficult decade, but one which we emerge stronger from and with a solid and more diverse platform for future growth.”

There was also good news for UK farmers as exports of meat rose by 4% to £764.6 million in 2006. Lamb continues to be Britain’s largest meat export, with £232.6 million shipped overseas last year, up 8.8%. However, it was beef that stole the show as it saw a 10-year export ban lifted – sales bounced back 320.9% to £80.1 million and this is definitely one to watch in the coming years.

France continues to be a key market for UK meat, and sales rose by 5.2% last year to £202.1 million, while The Netherlands also showed a strong performance in this category, increasing by 41.6% to £60.5 million and becoming our third largest export market in 2006.

“2006 has been a record year for UK food and drink exporters – 9 out of our top 10 markets have shown considerable growth and new emerging markets, such as China, Russia and Dubai, have continued to expand at a good pace,” continued David McNair. “All the signs looking promising for a positive future of our food and drink exports, and we are confident that the next decade will see this upward trend continue.”

TheCattleSite News Desk