European Union beef exports surge 178%

A MASSIVE rise in the tonnage of beef exported to Russia and Turkey in 2010 has turned the European Union into a net exporter of fresh and frozen beef for the first time for almost a decade.

Figures published by the Agricultural and Horticulture Development Board also show that imported beef from South American countries fell back in the same period.

In tonnage terms, beef exports rose 178 per cent to 215,000 tonnes while imports at 203,000 tonnes were down 10 per cent on the year.

The exports increase was across fresh, chilled and frozen product, but more than half the shipments were fresh and chilled.

Turkey and Russia were the dominant destinations accounting for 64 per cent of the total EU beef export tonnage. A significant reduction in import tariffs was responsible for what AHDB described as a "remarkable increase" in shipments to Turkey - up from 281 tonnes in 2009 to 58,000 tonnes last year

The beef figures also contributed to the EU becoming a net exporter of agricultural produce for the first time since 2006 with a record €91 billion (79bn) worth of goods leaving the community.

This puts the EU just marginally behind the United States, which exported €92 billion worth of agricultural goods as the top exporter in the world.

However, the EU remains by far the world's biggest importer, with imports up by 9 per cent in 2010 to €85bn, well ahead of the US figure.

Commission officials believed the €6bn agricultural trade surplus was attributed to the increase in value of exports, driven by stronger demand for final products, as the EU's trading partners came out of recession.

But they also said that exchange rate fluctuations may also have contributed, given the weakening of the euro against a number of major currencies in 2010.

The biggest growth was in exports was to Russia where sales grew by nearly one- third and to China, which became the world's third biggest importer with a massive 47 per cent rise.