The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has revealed that exports of red meat and dairy from the UK reached over £4 billion last year, with red meat values at £2 billion.
AHDB highlighted that there were record values set for both sectors as the “global appetite for world-class produce” continued to grow.
The latest figures from HMRC revealed the total value of UK red meat exports, including offal, reached £2 billion - an increase of 12% on 2024. The total value of UK dairy exports in 2025 was £2.2 billion, up 16.6% on the year.
Shipments to markets in the EU trade bloc accounted for 81% of red meat exports and 73.9% of the total value of UK dairy exports.
The latest figures followed a busy year for the AHDB International Trade Development Team, which worked to promote exports of British red meat and dairy in 2025.
Work included taking part in international trade shows, with a red meat and dairy presence at ANUGA in Cologne in October. AHDB also hosted a red meat mission into the UK, which saw a 28-strong delegation from across the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Middle East taking part in a four-day visit.
An inward mission was also organised for EU meat buyers, providing the opportunity for 12 delegates from France, Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands to find out more about quality British beef and lamb.
British red meat to be showcased worldwide
Jonathan Eckley, AHDB international trade development director, commented: “The latest full-year figures for 2025 are a remarkable success story, underlining demand for our world-class dairy and red meat produce in a wide portfolio of markets.
“Underpinning our work is the consumer and market insight from our Market Intelligence team, helping us shape and deliver a programme of promotional activity on the ground to support our export businesses. This will continue to play a key role as we look to build on the achievement of 2025.”
In addition to FHA in Singapore, AHDB will also showcase British red meat at the Annual Meat Conference (AMC) in Maryland, USA, and in Japan in March. The AHDB Red Meat Export Conference is also due to return in June, and the year will culminate with AHDB taking part in SIAL, Paris, in October.
Eckley added: “International trade development is one of the cornerstones of AHDB’s activity and the success of 2025 illustrates just how important export trade is for our levy payers. Central to this is the importance of connecting with people in the industry, and AHDB remains committed to continuing to invest in supporting our red meat and dairy export businesses to help deliver further success.”
