Data from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has found that pork imports were down in February, but pork exports saw a 24% rise on the year.
AHDB found that UK pig imports totalled 56,100 tonnes in February, down 1% on the month and down 5% on the year.
For the first two months of 2026, UK pig meat import volumes decreased by 4% to 112,700 tonnes, which the board said represented the lowest volume for the opening two months of the year since 2021.
According to AHDB, imports from the Netherlands fell 23% year-on-year to 9,700 tonnes in February. Imports from Denmark were down 14% on the year, sitting at 12,000 tonnes for the month.
Following 2025 export restrictions due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Germany, shipments from the country experienced record annual growth of 102%, with volumes totalling 9,500 tonnes.
AHDB highlighted that the USA remained the largest non-EU supplier, but volumes remained small as imports increased by 23% on the year to reach 188 tonnes.
Exports
UK pig meat exports in February rose by 15% from January to 29,300 tonnes, said AHDB, up 24% on the year. February shipments to the EU were up 7% on the year at 11,400 tonnes.
Shipments to the Philippines grew in February to total 1,900 tonnes. This was above year-ago levels (+14%).
Exports to China experienced a rise of 24% in February when compared to January, but this was down 2% on February 2025 levels. For the year-to-date, AHDB found exports to China were up by 2% on the year to reach 21,800 tonnes.
However, Chinese trade data showed that for the first quarter of 2026 total pig meat imports were down 21% year-on-year at 438,000 tonnes. AHDB said that this could be due to China’s “drive towards self-sufficiency” tempering demand for UK pig meat shipments, as well as shipments from other suppliers. The body warned that looking ahead, UK pig meat exports were likely to face “increased competition”, while China’s focus on self-sufficiency was expected to “limit any meaningful upside for UK shipments, with production elevated”.
Bacon imports experience steep decline
The research went on to detail how bacon imports had showed the steepest decline in February (-9%). Fresh and frozen pork import volumes declined by 6% year-on-year, while sausage volumes reportedly “held steady” on the year.
AHDB found that offal and processed pig meat saw annual growth of 4% and 2% respectively.
