Pig and Poultry Fair logoNational Pig Association - The voice of the British pig industry

Pig World logo

Home > News > Tight supplies put a brake on UK pork exports but imports rising
Prices

Tight supplies put a brake on UK pork exports but imports rising

18th May 2017 / By Alistair Driver

Tight domestic supplies are putting a brake on pork exports and resulting in a big year-on-year increase in imports, the latest data from HMRC shows.

UK exports of fresh and frozen pork during March were 3% down on the year to 19,100 tonnes while imports rose by a massive 47%.

The fall in export volumes highlights the tight supply situation of both clean pigs and sows the UK has found itself in domestically since the start of the year, AHDB Pork said.

However, export demand is thought to be relatively strong and while volume was down, the value of shipments in March was 26% higher compared to the same period in 2016, at £27.1 million, driven by a rise in unit prices.

Tight supplies continue to drive the domestic pig price onwards and upwards, with the SPP rising for the 11th consecutive week last week to reach 158.45p/kg, 43p/kg higher than a year ago.

For more on this story, see Pig World