THE Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) recently hosted a trade mission for red meat buyers from Asia, the Middle East and North America to meet with farmers and UK exporters at the Great Yorkshire Show.

More than 10 buyers from markets including Qatar, Kuwait, Philippines, the UAE, Canada, the US and Mexico headed to the UK to discover more about sustainable beef, lamb and pork production and to examine potential new business opportunities.

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The trip included multiple visits to farms and processors and the chance to meet with farmers at the Great Yorkshire Show on 12 July to find out more about high quality meat production in the UK. A business match making event was also included in the programme where the visiting buyers met with leading UK meat export companies. The visit follows the recent launch of AHDB’s new export strategy Beyond Borders which is aimed at increasing market access and export sales while encouraging and supporting more businesses to export.

Last year the value of UK red meat exports hit record levels at £1.7 billion and global meat consumption is expected to grow by 1.8% from 2023 to 2024.

AHDB head of international trade development, Jonathan Eckley said: “Exports is a key pillar in AHDB activity and we have listened to our levy payers telling us how much they value our export development work. This successful inward trade mission will help develop important relationships with buyers in key markets. There is a growing global appetite for our high-quality produce, and now is the time to help maximise the opportunities for UK beef, lamb and pork.

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“It was our pleasure to welcome our international visitors to the Great Yorkshire Show where they had the chance to find out directly from producers themselves about our high-welfare, environmentally sustainable, traceable food production in the UK, enhancing their knowledge and the reputation of our agri-food products in overseas markets.”

Export development is one of AHDB’s key strategic objectives, working collaboratively with industry and government, to cultivate further opportunities for its red meat and dairy sectors. Export opportunities for UK producers is detailed further in AHDB’s region-by-region analysis Prospects for UK agri-food exports, launched earlier this year, examining both the opportunities and challenges of trading in different parts of the world.