UK pork sector eyes export opportunities in Taiwan
8th Nov 2018 / By Alistair Driver
Pork processors and exporters from the UK have arrived in Taiwan this week as part of a three-day mission to explore this newly-accessible market.
Eight delegates from the UK will spend the week visiting local retailers and meeting with leading importers and supply chain distributors to gain valuable insight into future opportunities for pig meat.
Organised by AHDB, the visit to Taipei follows an announcement in September that Taiwan had granted access to UK pork imports for the first time. This followed a detailed process of inspections and negotiations led by Defra alongside AHDB, the UK Export Certification Partnership (UKECP) and others.
The first commercial shipments are set to leave imminently and the deal is expected to be worth around £50 million per year to the UK industry.
With a population of more than 23 million people and some of the highest rates of meat consumption per capita in Asia, Taiwan offers a number of exciting opportunities for the UK pork industry, AHDB said.
AHDB head of Asia Pacific Jonathan Eckley said: “This is an incredibly important mission for some of the UK’s leading processors and exporters of pork. We aim to help them gain first-hand insight into this exciting new market, exploring everything from the local market scene through to high-end retailers and the all-important food service sector.
“A key part of this trip will be the business-to-business meeting sessions which connects our exporters with key stakeholders in the supply chain in Taiwan. We understand that relationships are key to the international meat business, which is particularly the case in Asian markets. The introductions made by AHDB can be invaluable in facilitating trade.”