Demand for prime lambs has been relatively lacklustre in recent weeks, but the good news is sheep meat exports in the first six months of 2023 are up 12.9 per cent, with volumes rising 16.1 per cent.

Recovery of post-pandemic markets in the Middle East, coupled with rising demand from the EU, saw January to June sheep meat exports, to include offal, were worth £277m, according to figures from HMRC. Total volumes stood at 43,374 tonnes.

The value of shipments to the EU during the period was up 12.9 per cent on the year at £263.8m while volumes rose by 15.5 per cent on the year. Exports to non-EU countries increased by 14.1 per cent in value year-on-year, while volume was up by 25.5 per cent.

This included exports worth £3.9m to Kuwait – up 20.9 per cent on the year, £780,471 to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – an increase of 2.8 per cent on the year and a 122 per cent increase in value of shipments to Jordan worth £135,218.

There is also hope for further export opportunites of red meat following an AHDB trade mission to Kuwait.

Jonathan Eckley, AHDB head of international trade development, said: “The value of sheep meat exports from the UK in the first half of the year have been very encouraging, driven by demand from high-value markets in northern Europe and burgeoning markets in the Middle East.

“Post-pandemic demand in the Middle East in particular is welcome as the region represents one of AHDB’s key strategic markets for the sheep meat sector.”

The performance of sheep meat exports contributed to the overall value of red meat exports remaining stable in the first half of the year. From January to June red meat exports were worth £860m – up marginally on the same period in 2022.

Pig meat exports volumes for the first half of 2023 were down 22.9 per cent, with the value falling marginally by 0.5 per cent. Beef export volumes for the period fell by 21.7 per cent and in value by 10.4 per cent.

Mr Eckley added: “Carcase balance remains an important factor for both the beef and pork sectors, with fifth quarter products playing a key role. For the beef sector, offal exports to Third Country markets were up eight per cent on the year in the first half of 2023, largely driven by demand from West Africa. Again, this is a region the AHDB export team has been developing for some time and this autumn we will lead a delegation of exporters there to build on our established reputation."

He added that subdued demand, particularly from some Asian markets, coupled with lower production have been the primary drivers behind the drop in pig meat exports for the first half of this year.

However, demand for fifth quarter has remained robust, with only a marginal decline. China remains a key market in this region and we saw an increase in the volume of fifth quarter exports there of 16% in the first half on the year.