UK red meat exports were worth £1.1bn in the first half of 2026, Farmers Weekly reports, and the industry's levy bodies are using the Sial Paris food trade fair (17 to 21 October) to try to build on it.
Export values rose 15% year on year in the first six months, and volumes 8% to almost 293,000 tonnes. Beef exports climbed 23% to £450m and sheepmeat 15% to £401m, largely on European demand.
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) are promoting British beef, lamb and pork at the show, which draws about 300,000 food industry professionals from more than 130 countries. Thirteen businesses joined AHDB's stand to strengthen trade relationships and find customers.
Jonathan Eckley, AHDB's international trade development director, said access to a range of export markets is essential to make the most of each carcass and of returns to producers. "Increasing export demand helps create long-term value for our levy payers and supports the resilience and competitiveness of British farming," he said.
HCC is promoting PGI Welsh Lamb and PGI Welsh Beef with meetings and cooking demonstrations, and QMS is targeting premium buyers for Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Prime Scottish Pork on provenance, welfare and sustainability. Defra farming minister Stephen Morgan visited before G7 agriculture talks in Paris on food system resilience, fertiliser supplies and soil health, and pointed to £65m of government funding to help farmers prepare for extreme weather.
Photo: Martin Dawes / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Source: Farmers Weekly
Comments
(0)