Worldwide exports of beef from the UK have rocketed by almost 40 per cent this year, figures released by EBLEX show.
Government figures reveal that UK beef exports increased by almost 40 per cent from January to June 2011 compared to the same period last year, with a total of 67,348 tonnes of fresh and frozen beef sold to other countries. In terms of value, beef exports were up by 33 per cent until the end of June 2011. For the full year, beef volumes are likely to reach 140,000 tonnes, with offal accounting for a further 18,000 tonnes, equating to a total value of €720 million - an extremely healthy performance considering beef exports from the UK only resumed in 2006.
Building on the steady incline in exports over recent years, the figures demonstrate a growing appreciation for the quality of the product and the fast and reliable supply chain.
EBLEX Export Manager, Jean-Pierre Garnier, sees every reason to be optimistic: “We have turned a real corner in terms of beef exports and aim to increase exports to 20 per cent of production by the end of 2012,” he said.
“However, there’s still a lot of work to be done, particularly in terms of developing new third country markets and increasing further fifth quarter exports.”
