South Africa mission to ‘meat’ appetite for British produce

A group of UK exporters headed to South Africa as part of a mission to help meet the country’s growing appetite for red meat.

Six UK export businesses joined our five-day mission to meet with leading importers and distributors of beef and pork in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

It also included a reception at the Trade Commissioner’s residence in Johannesburg, coordinated in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).

In the first half of this year the UK shipped 2,772 tonnes of beef, worth £2.4 million, to South Africa – up 50% in volume and 27% in value on the year. In the same period 3,167 tonnes of pig meat, worth £5.4 million, were also exported – up 34% in volume and 52% in value on the year respectively.

AHDB’s Prospects for UK agri-food exports has highlighted opportunities to grow the export of red meat into South Africa.

Jonathan Eckley, AHDB Head of International Trade Development, said:

“International trade development is one of the cornerstones of AHDB’s activities, working together with industry and government to expand red meat and dairy exports around the world.

“South Africa presents a number of opportunities for UK exports of beef and pork, and the figures for the first half of this year are encouraging. This mission highlights our ongoing commitment to support exporters develop global opportunities for red meat exports across a broad portfolio of international markets.

"It also provides the platform for us to continue to enhance the UK’s reputation as supplier of high-quality red meat and variety meat.”

Further details about export opportunities for UK red meat and dairy in specific regions around the world can be found in our analysis Prospects for UK agri-food exports.