The Philippines has become the UK's second largest non-EU pork market, as exports reached almost £17m in the first four months of 2022.
Demand for UK pork in the Philippines continues to increase, delivering a strong boost to the UK's beleaguered pork sector.
The latest figures from HMRC show that between January and April, the amount of pig meat shipped to the country increased 46%, to 13,812 tonnes.
Last year, almost £38 million worth of pork was shipped to the Southeast Asian country – a fourfold increase on 2020.
This makes the Philippines the UK’s second largest non-EU pork export market, behind China.
AHDB export manager Susan Stewart said the Philippines, which has a population of over 100 million people, was proving to be a valuable market for the sector.
“In just four months, both the value and volume of shipments have risen significantly, following on from an incredible year for pork exports to Asia.”
Just last month, nine exporters took part in a three-day visit to the Philippines, which was organised by AHDB.
The event saw them attend a seminar to hear updates on the latest developments in the country as well as one-to-one meetings with key importers.
They also attended a British meat reception and market visits during the mission. The aim of the visit was to increase exports to the market and re-connect and build networks in the country.
Ms Stewart added: “The visit to the Philippines was a huge success and gave our exporters the opportunity to learn about the changing trends in this growing market."
It comes as exports of red meat were worth more than £1.45 billion in 2021 – up £33 million on pre-pandemic levels despite a challenging year for exporters.
Many markets increased imports of UK red meat, in particular in Asia, figures by AHDB show, despite a number of factors impacting trade last year.
