EU dairy exports decline

UK food and beverage exports to the European Union (EU) have nearly halved during the first three months of 2021, compared to the same period last year, due to post-Brexit trade barriers and the impacts of the pandemic. Figures published by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) revealed that EU sales were down 47%, which it says was largely due to changes in the UK's trade relationship with the EU, but also to the continuing impacts of the Covid pandemic -19. Meanwhile, exports to the EU are down £2bn ($2.78bn; BRL13.79bn) compared to the first quarter of 2019. In March, the FDF revealed that annual exports of food and beverages for the EU they were down 75.5% — a drop of nearly £0.75 billion ($1.04 billion; R$5.16 billion). For the first time since the FDF began reporting, exports to markets outside the EU exceeded sales to EU countries, accounting for 55% of all UK food and beverage exports. The trade body also revealed that the Republic of Ireland — traditionally the sector's ...