Research conducted by export vets AmiVet Exports has revealed that £1.6 billion worth of animal products were exported from the UK outside the EU in 2016, signalling the market’s appetite for exports outside of the continent.
According to AmiVet Exports, the biggest markets that represent significant food export potential are the USA and China, with a combined £578 million market value.
They are followed by Hong Kong, UAE and Gulf region, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Vietnam, South Korea, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Mexico and Latin America, India and Japan.
According to the Office for National Statistics, British firms’ exports grew faster than their global rivals for the first time in ten years in 2016.
Over the next five years, the Government is seeking to rapidly grow the food and drink export industry, as according to Defra’s UK Food and Drink International Action Plan, its aim is to add £984 million of additional food exports to the USA and China alone.
AmiVet Exports’ director, Andrew Iveson, has warned that following the UK’s vote to leave the EU, exporting businesses should be aware of the fact that a valid Export Health Certificate (EHC) may be required.
According to Iveson, each food and animal product will require a different EHC and there are over 1,500 certificates available, all with “slightly different requirements”.
He added that each year “over 80,000 export health certificates are signed by official vets in the UK”, and they are split into a range of commodities, including meat that peaked at £306 million in 2016.
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.
