Exports of beef cuts and offal were the stand out successes of last year, according to AHDB Beef and Lamb.
Beef cuts accounted for 86% (86,000 tonnes) of exports in 2015, compared to 75% (84,448 tonnes) in 2014.
Full year export figures revealed that exports of beef offal last year were up 8.1% in volume on 2014, with a 26% increase to non-EU markets.
The figures stood out as highlights in 2015 where UK beef exports as a whole were back 11% on the year at 100,400 tonnes, despite the marginal increase in production. Shipments of sheep meat offal were up 36% with a near threefold increase to non-EU markets and further improvements were also seen in sales of cuts and pre-packed lamb.
Jean-Pierre Garnier, export manager for AHDB Beef and Lamb, said: “It’s encouraging to see the strong performance of cuts and offal in what was undoubtedly a challenging year for exports of beef and lamb.
“Our long-term strategy of moving towards adding value to the sector with a focus on the export of cuts rather than carcases is bearing fruit, as is our commitment to cultivating markets for offals which have limited value and appeal domestically.”
In 2012, AHDB Beef and Lamb coordinated a trade mission to South Africa. Last year, beef offal volumes to that market were up significantly. A mission to the Ivory Coast took place in 2013, with similar results.
Garnier added: “The examples of both South Africa and the Ivory Coast clearly demonstrate the success of our approach in adding value to the beef and lamb sector. Our ambition is to continue building on these successes and to continue to add value to the sector through our export development world as we move forwards in 2016 and beyond.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
