Exports of pork from the UK to the Philippines reached almost £17 million in the first four months of 2022 – up 14 per cent on the same period last year.

According to the latest figures from HMRC, between January and April, the amount of pig meat shipped to the country in Southeast Asia increased 46 per cent, to 13,812 tonnes.

The Philippines is now the UK's second largest non-EU pork export market, behind China. Last year, almost £38 million worth of pork was shipped to the Philippines – a fourfold increase on 2020.

AHDB Export Manager Susan Stewart, who has just returned from her first trade mission to Asia in two years, said the Philippines is proving to be a valuable market for the pork sector.

She said: "Demand for UK pork in the Philippines continues to increase, delivering a strong boost to the pork sector. In just four months, both the value and volume of shipments have risen significantly, following on from an incredible year for pork exports to Asia."

Just last month, nine exporters took part in a three-day visit to the Philippines, organised by AHDB, which allowed them to attend a seminar to hear updates on the latest developments in the country as well as one-to-one meetings with key importers.

They also attended a British meat reception and market visits during the mission. The aim of the visit was to increase exports to the market and re-connect and build networks in the country.

Susan added: "The visit to the Philippines was a huge success and gave our exporters the opportunity to learn about the changing trends in this growing market.

"We also facilitated a number of important face-to-face meetings with importers, who were very interested in red meat from the UK, providing a number of potential leads for our red meat exporters."