Priority markets for British red meat have been identified by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to build on the value of exports last year.
In the second edition of the trade body’s Market Access Prioritisation Report, AHDB highlighted a selection of countries where it will be focusing its efforts on maximising export opportunities for beef, sheep meat and pig meat.
The report comes as HMRC figures revealed that the total value of UK red meat exports, including offal, was £2 billion in 2025 – an increase of 12% on 2024. It said that the UK currently has “extensive market access” for beef, lamb and pig meat, and also reviewed a range of global opportunities and challenges across key export markets for these products. These include major Asian markets, North America, and selected regions in the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean.
It also highlighted export opportunities in Japan, where AHDB recently hosted a British Meat Dinner for key stakeholders from the Japanese meat industry and UK stakeholders to sample British beef, pork and lamb.
Ouafa Doxon, AHDB head of market access, said: “Levy payers are at the heart of what we do, and this report has been developed in close collaboration with industry, showing our core focus and the rationale behind it. It’s very much designed to give us strategic direction, helping us align with industry aspirations and ensuring that the views of our levy payers feed into wider Government market access strategy.
“The report highlights markets that represent high-potential opportunities based on recent engagement and sector-wide intelligence. However, prioritisation remains a flexible and evolving process and, as recent world events have highlighted, the landscape of international trade can change quickly. We must be agile to changes in global trade and adapt to where new opportunities arise as a result.
“Any market we open benefits the entire supply chain, adding value to the whole industry. It’s important to remember, however, that we don’t open markets overnight. It takes time and a market prioritisation report will play a key role in ensuring that we maintain a broad portfolio of markets for our beef, sheep meat and pig meat.”
“Market access is the first step in the export process.”
Ouafa Doxon, AHDB
AHDB said its market access work helped to “lay the foundations” for its International Trade Development team to deliver a programme of activity to support export businesses in promoting British beef, sheep meat and pig meat globally.
Doxon added: “Market access is the first step in the export process, opening the door to both new markets and broadening the scope of what we can export to existing ones. Our team on the ground will continue to work with industry and Government to help maximise the potential for our red meat exports.”
