UK pork trade gains resilience through supply and diversified export outlets

UK pigmeat trade ended the first half of 2026 with higher self-sufficiency, even though the second quarter was less dynamic than the first. The analysis published by AHDB on 3 September attributes the improvement to a broader domestic supply and lower imports. Self-sufficiency—defined as domestic production as a share of available supply—reached 66%, compared with 61% in the same period of 2025.

Imports, including offal, rose by 1% in the second quarter compared with the first, but were 8% below the second quarter of 2025. Across the half-year, they fell 5.6% to just over 350,000 tonnes. Origin patterns are shifting as well: volumes from Denmark declined during the quarter, while other European suppliers, including Spain, the Netherlands and Germany, gained relative importance.

Exports fell 4% in the second quarter from the exceptionally high first-quarter level. Nevertheless, first-half exports totalled 173,200 tonnes, up 11% year on year, with a value of £267.2 million. The European Union received 73,100 tonnes and overtook China as the leading half-year destination. Shipments to the Philippines and South Africa also increased, while Chinese demand remained softer.