EU pig meat exports remain strong moving into 2020, as more product continues to be sent to China, according to the latest report from AHDB.
In January, EU-28 exports of pig meat including offal rose by 27% year-on-year to total 407,100 tonnes. Within this, exports of fresh/frozen pork increased by 32% to 264,800 tonnes.
Volumes sent to China in January more than doubled on the year to total 174,700 tonnes. However, shipments to other key markets including Japan, South Korea and the US, suffered double-digit declines.
Hannah Clarke, AHDB analyst said: “The release of Chinese pork stocks, and high import volumes over the previous months, meant Chinese import demand eased in the New Year. The coronavirus epidemic also subsequently affected imports, though reports suggest trade has begun to move again in recent weeks.”
Exports of pig offal in January rose 20% on the year to 125,700 tonnes, reinforced by a 37% rise in shipments to China (to 86,500 tonnes). This outweighed a near 60% fall in shipments to the Philippines.
In addition, the EU saw a rise in pig meat imports of 18% year-on-year in January, with nearly half coming from Switzerland.
