Eblex, the beef and sheep industry organisation, revealed today that exports of fresh and frozen beef and veal from the UK have soared by 31 per cent.

The figures, published in the organisation’s Meat and Livestock UK Yearbook 2011, revealed the volume of UK exports of fresh and frozen beef and veal from the UK leapt from 83,400 tonnes in 2009 to 109,300 tonnes in 2010. The value to the industry increased from £257.7m in 2009 to £330.9m in 2010; the latest figures for the year from Revenue and Customs (HMRC) show a 28.4 per cent increase.

The value of sheep meat exports rose slightly by 0.9 per cent, from £316.2 million in 2009 to £319 million in 2010, despite a 7 per cent fall in volume, from 96,100 tonnes in 2009 to 88,700 tonnes in 2010, which was driven by lower domestic production.