According to a recent AHDB market report from senior analyst Soumya Behera, total UK pork imports for the month of May registered at 68,600 tonnes, up 16% from April and 2% compared with May 2022 levels. Lower availability in the domestic market has been the driving factor behind increased imports.

The main source for UK imports in May was Denmark with 14,100 tonnes, an increase of 3,000 tonnes from April’s levels. This was followed by imports from Germany and the Netherlands at 13,300 tonnes and 12,200 tonnes respectively. The most significant changes on the year were noticed in imports from Denmark and Belgium, which have seen shipped volumes grow by 1,800 tonnes and 1,600 tonnes respectively.

Fresh and frozen pork volumes continue to retain the majority market share in the import basket. In May, they stood at 29,200 tonnes, up 3,800 tonnes from April. Bacon imports stood at 15,300 tonnes while imports of sausages totalled 13,100 tonnes for the month, an increase of 1,900 tonnes and 2,000 tonnes respectively from the previous month. Processed pig meat imports increased by 1,500 tonnes month-on-month to stand at 9,600 tonnes in May.

Year-on-year, fresh and frozen pork volumes increased by 11% (2,800 tonnes). Sausage imports increased by 800 tonnes compared to May last year, while processed pig meat and bacon have declined by 1,400 tonnes and 700 tonnes respectively.