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UK beef trade eases in June
Wednesday, 17 August 2022
Imports
In June 2022, the UK imported 19,100 tonnes of fresh and frozen beef, down 3% from May, but down 2,800 tonnes (13%) on the same month last year. Within this annual decrease, most notably Irish imports were down 4,000 tonnes (24%), with other decreases coming from smaller suppliers such as Uruguay, Spain, and Italy. The Irish steer price stood above the GB equivalent during the majority of June, potentially making imports uncompetitive. Albeit from a relatively small base, imports from Germany were up 338% year-on-year, with an extra 862 tonnes imported compared to June 2021.
For the first six months of the year, overall imports were up an additional 14,800 tonnes (15%) on the same period in 2021. Whilst still our largest supplier of beef, Ireland’s overall market share has decreased from 78% to 69% versus the first half of 2021, while other suppliers (most notably Germany) have increased share.
Exports
Exports from the UK for June totalled 9,830 tonnes, down 16% from May, but up 474 tonnes (5%) on the same month last year. The decrease from May was mostly due to lower shipments to France and the Netherlands (-1,200 tonnes combined); volumes to Ireland also fell but to a much lesser extent.
However, versus June 2021, more beef was shipped to Ireland, France, the Netherlands, and Germany. Trade with France accounted for 25% of the market share for exports, up from 14% for the same month last year. Decreases were seen to many of the smaller trade partner counties such as Hong Kong and the Philippines. However, each of these countries only accounted for around 3% of the market share of exports for the month.
For the year to date, overall exports are up 43%, totalling 64,500 tonnes, when compared with last year. Ireland, France and the Netherlands have accounted for an additional 21,000 tonnes of fresh and frozen beef during this time.
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