Irish beef exports to the UK are up 12% on last year's figures, with 127,786 tonnes exported in the first nine months of 2014.

Figures from the Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC) shows Ireland remains the biggest exporter of beef into the UK market, accounting for 79% of the imports from EU countries.

Beef imports into the UK from January to September 2014 are up 5% on last year's figures for the same period to 181,139 tonnes.

Beef imports from EU countries are up 8% for the period, to 161,418 tonnes. Beef imports from France, Belgium and Denmark have all increased during the 2014 period, while imports from Spain, Italy and Poland have all decreased.

Non EU imports down

However, the proportion of beef imports from non EU countries has decreased, with imports of beef from non EU countries accounting for 11% of total imports in the 2014 period, compared to 14% in the corresponding period in 2013.

LMC report a notable decline in beef imports to the UK from Uruguay, Brazil, Namibia, Argentina and Botswana. However, the volume imported from Australia and New Zealand has

increased over the same period.