The 2023 global pork trade review

Published Mar 3, 2024

Tridge summary

In 2023, the UK saw a 2.5% decrease in total pig meat imports, with a notable 10.2% drop in bacon imports, despite a 3.4% rise in fresh/frozen pig meat imports. Denmark and the Netherlands remained the main suppliers, while imports from Germany fell by 11.8%. Meanwhile, UK pig meat exports declined by 20.0% due to market challenges, with fresh/frozen product volumes experiencing the largest decrease at 31.3%, although processed product volumes rose by 6.4%. Exports to the EU27 and China also significantly reduced.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Looking from May onwards, a greater price differential alongside tight domestic supplies has enticed larger pig meat volumes from the continent. This mixed market dynamic throughout 2023 has resulted in total imports being back 2.5% when compared to 2022 at 781,600 tonnes. When looking into the detailed category breakdowns, the total fresh/frozen category saw increases of 3.4% to 331,500 tonnes. Meanwhile Bacon saw the greatest reductions in import volumes, back 10.2% on the year to 180,300 tonnes, this being the dominant driver in the overall decline. Interestingly this has moved the dial on our overall UK import profile, with fresh and frozen product increasing its market share at the cost of bacon. The key suppliers across 2023 remain Denmark and the Netherlands, with most countries remaining relatively static in terms of imports volumes. The biggest movement seen was from Germany, which witness a 11.8% drop in pig meat volumes sent to the UK across 2023. When looking to the ...

Source: EuroMeat