UK sheep meat exports break £300m mark

- Published: 01 March, 2010

Lamb and mutton exports reached £312m in 2009, an increase of 19% on the previous year.

Nearly 30% of British lamb is now exported, a total of 94,500t, amounting to a volume rise of 9%.

Jean-Pierre Garnier, export manager for Eblex, commented: "2009 exports of sheep meat show a significant growth, both in volumes and a percentage of production, which is good news for English sheep producers.

"It is heartening to see growth in all our major European export markets, namely France, Belgium, Germany and Italy, but third-country exports are rising too."

Exports have been maintained by the low level of sterling, along with investment by Eblex, and other marketing boards, in export markets.

Beef exports have also risen, up 2.4% to 83,300t, with significant rises in Italy and France.

All statistics are taken from Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Market Intelligence.

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