It has been a successful year for UK beef producers with 2021 witnessing beef making up over a quarter of the red meat shipments valued at £19 million, which was shipped across to the United States in the first eight months of the year.

According to the latest data from HMRC, 1211 tonnes of beef was exported to America between January and August of this year, worth over £5 million to the sector – marking a memorable first year since the two-decade ban on UK beef was lifted – as well as over 4600 tonnes of pig meat also being exported to the US and up nearly 10% on last year, valued at £14 million to the pork sector.

These figures follow the recent news that a fourth site located within in the UK – Foyle Food Group Melton Mowbray – has been listed to export beef with immediate effect to America.

"It’s very encouraging to see more than £5 million worth of beef from the UK exported to the US in less than a year since gaining market access," commented Susana Morris, AHDB Senior Export Manager for the Americas.

"America is proving to be an attractive market for our beef as the country is experiencing high domestic consumption, rising demand from international customers and stronger demand from retail and foodservice as well as lower stocks in cold storage.

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"Pork prices in the US are also high compared to a year ago due to tight supplies and a lack of market-ready pigs, tighter production schedules and strong demand has led to lower stocks in cold storage. This combined with the suspension of the 25% tariff earlier this year has given our exporters a fantastic boost and we look forward to seeing these figures increase."

Exports of both pork and beef have grown in Canada too, with pork shipments being up 54% to 1183 tonnes valued at £5.4 million and beef shipments peaking at 1341 tonnes, worth £5.2 million.

"The North American markets continue to be a key focus for AHDB exports and will continue to target these important regions to create new opportunities for our exporters over the coming year," Susana said, adding that over the past six months, AHDB’s export team has hosted four events and webinars for the US and Canadian markets – reaching and connecting with 63 companies across both countries.