Bring home the bacon! Brexit Britain pig exports to Philippines surge by 6 times in 1 year

Figures from the National Pig Association in November 2021 suggest UK pork exports to the Philippines have increased by more than six times compared to 2020 – to around 13,000 tonnes.

The association’s figures also reported that pig exports to South Africa have increased by more than four times to over 4,000 tonnes.

The promising news of rising exports in the Philippines and South Africa follows pig farmers losing an estimated £130m in the first half of 2021.

Last year, the NPA warned meat industry staffing levels were hit hard by the Covid pandemic, which was causing major problems in the food supply chain.

Rebecca Veale, NPA’s senior policy adviser, reported additional red tape by the EU meant the sector was facing issues in the aftermath of Brexit.

As well as this, China’s import ban on pork from Covid-hit factories caused further problems for pig farmers.

At an industry round table event last year, the NPA reported that they “expected more” support from UK retailers in stocking British pork.

The NPA’s Chief Executive said that “demand for pork was currently strong, so if processors could provide the product, they would sell it”.

Despite problems faced by the sector over the past two years, the increase in British pork exports to the Philippines and South Africa is signalling a brighter future for the industry.

News of significant export growth to the Philippines and South Africa comes as data shows a surge in trade with non-EU countries.

According to the latest figures compiled by the Department for International Trade, trade with the EU fell by 1.7 percent in the third quarter of 2021 – compared to the previous 12 months. Meanwhile, trade with non-EU countries rose by 3.3 percent over the same period.

A significant difference was seen in goods, with total non-EU trade rising 13.6 percent while EU good trade rose just 1.4 percent.

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Egypt is believed to be an increasingly significant trade partner with the UK.

In a Twitter post, Brexit analyst Robert Kimbell wrote: “UK good exports to Egypt in the last 12 months to the end of November increased +32.1 percent, while UK imports of goods from Egypt rose +23.9 percent.”

As well as this, the UK just last month signed a new free trade agreement with Australia – and negotiations for a trade deal with India have recently begun.

Earlier this week, the UK also began talks with the US over the removal of tariffs on steel and aluminium left over from the Trump administration.