Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths has announced that Welsh meat exports were worth £265 million in 2022, seeing a 42% increase from 2021 figures.
Griffiths revealed at the Royal Welsh Show that meat and meat products were the highest value export categories for Welsh Food and Drink in 2022. Industry exports increased by £157 million between 2021 and 2022, making that a 24.5% increase. Meanwhile, the UK as a whole saw a smaller percentage increase of 21.6%.
The total value of the sector's exports to the EU peaked at £594 million, while exports to non-EU countries were worth £203 million in 2022.
Griffiths said: “Welsh food and drink exports continue to go from strength to strength, ensuring people in many countries abroad can enjoy high-quality products from Wales."
Project Helix and the Strategic Innovation Scheme
The Royal Welsh Show also saw the announcement of the Strategic Innovation Scheme, which was formed to give support to Welsh food and drink businesses. Project Helix offers technical and commercial support as part of this scheme, and will continue until March 2025.
Project Helix was launched in 2016, and has provided a £355 million economic boost to the Welsh food and drink industry, creating 683 jobs and protecting 3,647 jobs. Over 700 business have benefitted from the scheme, with almost 2,100 new products developed. Now, the project will provide support to larger manufacturers in Wales alongside small and medium-sized enterprises and micro-businesses.
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.
