Pork, offal and breeding stock worth just under £60 million were sent last year while exports of whisky were worth £53.6 million.

BPEX director Mick Sloyan said: “China is increasingly important to us and is now the UK’s largest single export market for pork and pork products.

“It is also one we are looking to expand as it is the world’s largest market for pork and we believe we could grow out exports substantially.

“A party of Chinese officials will be visiting the UK shortly as part of our plans to increase both the range and quantity of products we can export.

“Parts of China have an increasingly urban population which means there are substantial niche markets for products such as bacon and pork pies. Many Chinese have sampled products of this nature and opening a market for them will be the next phase.