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The latest figures published by the AHDB show the volume of Irish beef exported to UK continuing to rise. Irish exports of fresh/frozen beef to the UK for the first six months of the totalled 96,775t, an increase of 5,218t on the corresponding period in 2017.
The Irish and UK markets are heavily reliant on each other with Bord Bia figures showing 51% of total Irish beef exports, or some 283,000t, exported to the UK in 2017. This supply source is central to the UK filling its import requirement which is reported as standing at 442,500t in 2017 and is detailed in Table 1, which outlines the UK beef and veal balance sheet for the last four years.
Beef imports
The figures published for AHDB for the first six months of the year show total UK imports of fresh/frozen beef increasing by 6,215t to reach 136,305t. While imports from Ireland increased, the volume of beef imported from two of the other main suppliers, the Netherlands and Poland, reduced by 1,346t and 1,257t respectively, as detailed in Table 2. Imports from Germany also reduced by 11%, or 605t, to 4,800t.
In contrast, UK beef imports from non-EU countries increased by 2,022t to 7,780t with Brazilian beef exports to the UK up 105% to 1,500t. Tom Forshaw, AHDB red meat analyst explains this is being influenced by the Russian ban on beef and pork products and Brazil looking for alternative markets.
UK exports
The UK also exports a significant volume of beef which has averaged in the region of 140,000t in recent years. Export data for the first six months of the year shows a significant increase of 6,829t fresh and frozen beef to reach 56,464t. The AHDB analysis detailed in Table 3 shows Ireland accounting for 34% of UK beef exports with volumes increasing 3,509t to reach 19,566t.
Exports to the Netherlands also increased by a similar level, rising 3,208t to 13,284t.
Exports to Hong Kong have built on the significant jump in performance in 2017 with volumes exported increasing 437t to 3,862t. This is the largest UK market outside the EU accounting for 57% of non-EU exports.
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