Delegates from France, Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands have taken part in an Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) mission to spotlight British lamb.
The mission welcomed 12 delegates, aiming to “enhance the reputation” of Quality Meat from Britain by showcasing British food production.
The three-day visit, which took place from 15th to 17th September, included visits to farms and processors to learn more about production of British lamb. It also included visits to butchers and retailers, as well as the chance to taste quality British lamb at a showcase dinner.
AHDB’s mission followed the recent publication of figures for the first half of 2025, highlighting the total value of UK red meat exports, including offal, which were up nearly 10% on the year at £966 million. Fresh and frozen sheep exports to the EU from January to June increased in value by 13% to £323 million year-on-year.
Gareth Renowden, AHDB head of international marketing, said: “Making strong connections with people is key to helping ensure UK red meat exports thrive. We were delighted to host delegates from across the EU for them to gain valuable insight into how we produce our world-class lamb.
“Our export trade adds value of £40 per head for the sheep meat sector and the EU remains our biggest trading partner and a key destination for British lamb. It was a real privilege to welcome delegates from across Europe and to show them, first-hand, the passion and expertise that goes into producing our world-class lamb. These kinds of visits are a fantastic opportunity to build trust, understanding and appreciation of our world-class production standards.”
In October, AHDB will be joined by red meat export businesses at Anuga in Cologne, as they look to attract industry buyers and key decision makers from around the world.
“We look forward to continuing working with industry and Government to support our exporters in being best placed to ensure our world class produce thrives internationally.”
Gareth Renowden, AHDB
Renowden added: “We’ve been very active, working on behalf of our levy payers to add value to the red meat sector and this inward mission is part of a wider portfolio of international trade development activity. This includes work on market access, participation in international trade shows, outward missions and the work of our representatives in-market. This work on the ground, coupled with consumer and international market analysis from our Market Intelligence team, helps equip our exporters with insight and practical support to succeed.
“Following this mission, we are looking forward to Anuga next month to support our exporters in building on existing business relationships and to develop new ones. We look forward to continuing working with industry and Government to support our exporters in being best placed to ensure our world class produce thrives internationally.”
