The Crucial Role of Imports in UK Meat Supply
In 2013, we published The Benefits of Imports, a paper that explored how imported meat contributes to UK food supply. Today, we are pleased to release The Crucial Role of Imports, which reaffirms and updates that analysis in light of current global dynamics.
Recent media coverage has focused on “cheap imports” and challenged businesses supplementing their customer offering with imported meat. We share the NFU’s concerns about declining domestic livestock production and strongly support the call for a robust policy framework that sustains and strengthens UK farming. However, we also believe it is essential to recognise the complementary role of imports—particularly during periods of reduced domestic availability.
According to AHDB’s latest beef production outlook, early 2025 has been marked by a “combination of constrained supply and sustained consumer demand,” with total beef production forecast at 897,000 tonnes—4% lower than in 2024. In such contexts, imports are not a threat but a strategic necessity. They help maintain consistent availability of nutrient-dense meat for UK consumers, ensuring resilience in the face of supply fluctuations and animal disease. This is reflected in HMRC data, which shows that total beef imports in 2024 were 10% lower than the average for 2013–2015—demonstrating how import volumes flex in response to domestic supply.
Rather than perpetuating unsubstantiated claims about the quality of imported meat, we urge continued focus on policies that support domestic production while acknowledging the vital role of imports in safeguarding UK food security. We would call on policymakers to ensure that food security is strengthened both by ensuring the right policy framework for domestic livestock production but also that of the trading environment.
Two-way trade is fundamental to the meat industry. It enables consumer choice, supports carcass balance, and ensures that every cut finds its optimal market—whether at home or abroad. Just as we need a range of dependable import options, we must also cultivate export opportunities to deliver the best returns to UK farmers. One farmer’s export is another’s import. Trade, by its nature, is reciprocal—and the UK has been importing meat since the 1800s.