Held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the exhibition runs from February 20 to 24, attracting thousands of buyers from the food and beverage industry. This year, more than 5,000 companies from 125 countries are expected to exhibit.

Visitors to AHDB's red meat stand will have the chance to sample beef and lamb from the UK and watch a butchery demonstration by AHDB's Master Butcher Martin Eccles.

The Middle East is a key target market for AHDB's export team, with lamb shipments from the UK increasing over the last year. In the first 11 months of 2022, exports of sheep meat to Kuwait were valued at £7.2 million – up from almost £2.2 million the previous year.

And according to the latest data from HMRC, between January and November last year, shipments of lamb to the United Arab Emirates increased 73 per cent in value to £1.5 million.

AHDB Senior Halal Sector Manager Dr Awal Fuseini said: "The Middle East is a hugely important market for our beef and lamb exports, with demand for UK products increasing year-on-year.

"Gulfood is one of the most important events in our export calendar as it provides the perfect platform for our exporters to showcase their products to buyers from not only the Middle East, but across the rest of the world.

"We look forward to facilitating important connections for our exporters, which will hopefully result in new business opportunities in this lucrative market."

Dairy from the UK is also growing in popularity in the Middle East with increased demand for products in the food service sector.

AHDB's dairy stand will showcase products from the UK, including cheese, baby milk and powdered food ingredients, as well as providing visitors with a journey through the cheesemaking process in the UK by way of AHDB's virtual reality project.

AHDB Senior Export Manager for Dairy Lucy Randolph said: "We have seen demand for dairy products from the UK continue to increase and Gulfood is a fantastic event as it attracts buyers from all over the Middle East.

"This year, there is a real focus on this market, and we are delighted to be back at Gulfood to help connect our exporters with important contacts in this growing market. This show will pave the way for a return visit later in the year as part of a targeted learning exercise, to explore what further opportunities exist in some Middle Eastern countries."