UK imports of fresh and frozen pork grew by 13% in volume year-on-year in November 2015 but fell in value over the same period by 4% to £55.8 million, according to AHDB Pork.
Based on the latest figures from HMRC, this continued an import growth trend which has been observed since June 2015, barring a slight dip in September.
“This suggests that, even though prices are falling for UK pork, buyers are looking to source increasing supplies from the EU, where the product is more competitively priced,” said AHDB Pork.
Most of the year-on-year volume increase came from the three main suppliers, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, while Spanish shipments continued their strong growth of recent months.
However, UK pigmeat exports also rose in November, driven by growth in both fresh/frozen pork and offal. Both the volume and value of exported pork grew versus the same period last year, rising by 17% and 20% respectively.