How self-sufficient UK's cheese production

By Kat Jack The end of the Brexit transition period is looming ever closer, and at the time of writing our trade status is still uncertain. If a worst case scenario completely disrupts trade, could the UK supply its own cheese market? By looking at production, imports and exports, we can estimate our self-sufficiency. Overall, the UK is 58% self-sufficient in total cheese production. This figure has been relatively steady over the last three years (2017-2019). However, there are of course many varieties of cheese, and the self-sufficiency for each will vary. While we cannot compare them all, we will look at two of the more prominent varieties: Cheddar and Mozzarella. High self-sufficiency in Cheddar For Cheddar, the picture is relatively strong, as estimates indicate we have been around 94% self-sufficient over the last three years. There has been a slight decline in self-sufficiency over that period, from 95% in 2017 to 92% in 2019. Although production was similar in both years, ...