Latest figures from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), point to a problem the UK could have in supplying high volumes of beef to future trading partners.

This sharp drop in exports was unexpected given that the decreased value of sterling since the Brexit vote was hoped to make more competitively priced exports attractive to foreign buyers.

However, strong domestic demand in the UK coupled with a limited volume supply hampered the availability of beef to supply export markets.

Brexit fears constraining herd size

On top of this, both the national dairy and beef herds have decreased by 0.5%, which indicates that future supply levels will remain limited.

The lack of desire to expand herd numbers is thought to indicate the trepidation felt by many UK farmers in face of future trade and farm subsidy uncertainty.

Imports from Ireland

The UK is only 61% self-sufficient in meeting domestic demand for food and relies on imports to ensure that food supplies are met.

To date, imports to the UK rose by 2% overall compared with this time last year, and part of this was due to the 5% increase in beef imports from Ireland, with Irish farmers mostly absorbing the cost of currency fluctuation.

UK future food policy

This week, the association for UK farmers, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said they’d like to see a domestic food policy that enhanced UK food production post-Brexit.

The NFU president Meurig Raymond stated: “Farming already provides 61% of the food for the nation but we are confident a new domestic agricultural policy can give us the opportunity to enhance our ability to provide homegrown food for the nation, while continuing our care for the countryside.”

However, a stagnation in national herd size at this moment would indicate a future difficulty in increasing UK domestic supply, and a continued reliance on countries such as Ireland, for beef imports.

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