UK pork imports rose strongly in October, increasing for the third time in four months, driven by supplies from Denmark and Spain, according to AHDB Pork.
The month’s intake totalled 33,900 tonnes, 11% higher than in October 2014, with a 20% rise in imports from Denmark and a “surge in purchases from Spain”.
With bacon imports down 6% on the year, however, including from Denmark, there appears to be a change of business patterns taking place. The indication is that more pork is now being imported for curing in the UK than in the past.
For exports, AHDB Pork reported “little change” overall from a year earlier.
“Increased sales to Ireland, China and the Netherlands were offset by lower volumes sent to countries such as Germany, Denmark and Hong Kong,” it said.
“There were strong sales to the United States, however, which took three times as much UK pork as in October 2014 and accounted for over 5% of the monthly total.”