Accredited official statistics

Chapter 13: Overseas trade

Published 6 June 2024

Summary

Key results for 2023 and compared to 2022 in real terms (adjusted for inflation).

• The value of food, feed and drink exports decreased by £3.1 billion (11%) to £24.4 billion.
• The value of food, feed and drink imports decreased by £5.9 billion (8.8%) to £61.1 billion.
• The trade gap in food, feed and drink decreased by £2.8 billion (7.1%) to £36.7 billion.
• Principal destinations for exports were Ireland (£4.1 billion), France (£2.7 billion), the United States (£2.4 billion) and the Netherlands (£2.0 billion).
• The main countries of dispatch for imports into the UK were the Netherlands (£7.6 billion), France (£6.3 billion), Belgium (£4.9 billion) and Ireland (£4.8 billion).
• Whisky continued to have the highest export value, totalling £5.8 billion. This was a decrease of 18% compared to the previous year.
• Fresh fruit and vegetables together remained the highest value category for imports, totalling £7.1 billion, a decrease of 2.2%.
• Exports of fresh vegetables fell by 8.9% to £82 million, but exports of fresh fruit rose by 4% to £70 million.

Introduction

The Overseas Trade Statistics presented in this chapter are based on data collected by HM Revenue and Customs and are compiled from returns made by importers and exporters. Before the completion of the Single Market in the European Union at the end of 1992, all overseas trade data for the United Kingdom was compiled from customs declarations made by traders. From the beginning of 1993 until the end of 2020, the collection of trade statistics was divided into two categories: that transacted between the United Kingdom and countries outside the European Union (extra-EU trade) and that between the United Kingdom and its European Union partners (intra-EU trade). In this period, extra-EU trade statistics were compiled, as before, from customs declarations by importers, exporters and their agents, while intra-EU trade statistics were compiled using a system linked to traders’ VAT returns, known as Intrastat. In 2021, following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, there was a transitional approach to data collection due to the introduction of staged customs controls for imports from the European Union. All exports from the United Kingdom (except those from Northern Ireland to the EU) were compiled from customs declarations whilst imports to the United Kingdom from the European Union continued to be collected using the Intrastat system. From 2022 onwards, all trade statistics (except imports and exports between Northern Ireland and the European Union, for which Intrastat remains in place) are compiled from customs declarations. These changes to data collection methods are known to have some impact on the trade statistics and some care should be taken when interpreting changes for recent years.

The trade statistics shown here may not match those shown in the commodities tables in Chapter 8 where, for example, trade in meat includes the carcase weight equivalent of trade in live animals and trade in milk is of raw milk before processing, and not of processed and packaged milk and cream as shown here.

Value of trade in food, feed and drink

Figure 13.1 Value of trade in food, feed and drink at 2023 prices (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Christopher Fell on +44 (0)208 720 3011
Email: trade-stats@defra.gov.uk

Text description of Figure 13.1: Figure 13.1 is a line chart showing the value of trade in millions of pounds at 2023 prices, split by imports and exports. Since 2000, both imports and exports have steadily increased. Imports and exports fell between 2019 and 2021, recovered in 2022, and have fallen again in 2023. Data for 2023 remain provisional until September 2024 and will be updated in next year’s Agriculture in the UK publication.

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The value of exports of food, feed and drink was £24.4 billion in 2023. To compare 2023 exports with previous years, it is necessary to adjust for the effects of economic inflation. The real terms value of exports was £3.1 billion or 11% lower in 2023 than 2022 but remains £3.0 billion or 11% below 2018 (pre-pandemic and pre-EU Exit). Since 2005 the real terms value of exports has risen by £7.3 billion or 43%. This long-term trend is a consequence of the combination of the relative strength of sterling, proactive responses to disease related issues, and an upward trend in world commodity prices.

The value of imports of food, feed and drink was £61.1 billion in 2023. To compare 2023 imports with previous years it is necessary to adjust for the effects of economic inflation. The real terms value of imports was £5.9 billion or 8.8% lower in 2023 than 2022 and £6.6 billion or 9.8% lower than 2018 (pre-pandemic and pre-EU Exit). The longer trend is for rising real terms import values. Since 2005, the real terms value of imports has risen by £9.4 billion or 18%.

The trade gap for food, feed and drink decreased by 7.1% between 2022 and 2023. Over the longer term it has widened by 6.1% from £34.5 billion (in 2005) to £36.7 billion (in 2023) in real terms.

Looking at exports of specific food, feed and drink types, the only increase in real terms between 2022 and 2023 occurred in sugars, sugar preparations and honey for which there was a rise of 13% to £422 million. The largest percentage reductions in real terms from 2022 to 2023 were for exports of oils/fats and oilseeds which decreased by 28% to £670 million, followed by beverages which fell by 17% to £8.5 billion.

In real terms, imports of sugars, sugar preparations and honey increased by 3.6% to £2.0 billion between 2022 and 2023. The largest percentage reduction in imports was seen in oils/fats and oilseeds which fell by 22% from 2022 to £3.2 billion in 2023. This was followed by imports of fish and fish preparations which decreased by 14% to £3.5 billion and miscellaneous edible products which also fell by 14% to £4.3 billion.

Value of trade in food, feed and drink by types of commodity

Tables 13.1a and 13.1b - Value of trade in food, feed and drink at 2023 prices (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Christopher Fell on +44 (0)208 720 3011
Email: trade-stats@defra.gov.uk

Table 13.1a Exports

SITC Division Code	Type	2021	2022	2023
Exports
01	Meat & Meat Preps	2,034	2,316	2,047
02	Dairy & Eggs	2,173	2,348	2,083
03	Fish & Fish Preps	1,926	1,779	1,731
04	Cereals & Cereal Preps	2,471	2,910	2,765
05	Fruit and Veg & Preps	981	1,058	981
06	Sugar & Sugar Preps	368	375	422
07	Coffee, tea, etc.	1,730	1,747	1,597
08	Animal feed	1,304	1,326	1,228
09	Misc. edible preps	2,380	2,510	2,424
11	Beverages	8,237	10,200	8,477
22 + S4	Oils/fats & Oilseeds	879	931	670
	Total	24,483	27,499	24,425

Table 13.1b Imports

SITC Division Code	Type	2021	2022	2023
Imports
01	Meat & Meat Preps	9,115	9,511	8,194
02	Dairy & Eggs	4,976	4,117	3,960
03	Fish & Fish Preps	4,216	4,025	3,453
04	Cereals & Cereal Preps	6,191	7,377	6,551
05	Fruit and Veg & Preps	12,852	13,646	13,206
06	Sugar & Sugar Preps	2,026	1,918	1,987
07	Coffee, tea, etc.	5,200	5,574	5,085
08	Animal feed	3,379	3,534	3,472
09	Misc. edible preps	5,284	4,971	4,270
11	Beverages	7,189	8,117	7,656
22 + S4	Oils/fats & Oilseeds	3,110	4,176	3,247
	Total	63,537	66,966	61,081

Source: HMRC

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Tables 13.1c and 13.1d - Value of trade in food, feed and drink with EU countries at 2023 prices (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Christopher Fell on +44 (0)208 720 3011
Email: trade-stats@defra.gov.uk

Table 13.1c Exports

SITC Division Code	Type	2021	2022	2023
Exports
01	Meat & Meat Preps	1,447	1,762	1,593
02	Dairy & Eggs	1,542	1,769	1,484
03	Fish & Fish Preps	1,394	1,236	1,207
04	Cereals & Cereal Preps	1,650	2,064	2,001
05	Fruit and Veg & Preps	672	713	700
06	Sugar & Sugar Preps	229	248	257
07	Coffee, tea, etc.	1,137	1,100	1,101
08	Animal feed	762	757	710
09	Misc. edible preps	1,385	1,404	1,377
11	Beverages	3,019	3,522	3,026
22 + S4	Oils/fats & Oilseeds	670	821	541
	Total	13,908	15,397	13,997

Table 13.1d Imports

SITC Division Code	Type	2021	2022	2023
Imports
01	Meat & Meat Preps	7,708	8,110	6,789
02	Dairy & Eggs	4,883	4,064	3,911
03	Fish & Fish Preps	983	873	814
04	Cereals & Cereal Preps	5,025	6,099	5,344
05	Fruit and Veg & Preps	8,183	9,006	8,526
06	Sugar & Sugar Preps	1,081	1,125	1,256
07	Coffee, tea, etc.	3,430	3,633	3,510
08	Animal feed	2,110	2,293	2,100
09	Misc. edible preps	3,787	3,756	3,481
11	Beverages	5,497	6,453	6,124
22 + S4	Oils/fats & Oilseeds	1,793	2,640	1,959
	Total	44,480	48,052	43,815

Source: HMRC

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Tables 13.1e and 13.1f - Value of trade in food, feed and drink with non-EU countries at 2023 prices (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Christopher Fell on +44 (0)208 720 3011
Email: trade-stats@defra.gov.uk

Table 13.1e Exports

SITC Division Code	Type	2021	2022	2023
Exports
01	Meat & Meat Preps	587	553	454
02	Dairy & Eggs	630	579	599
03	Fish & Fish Preps	532	543	524
04	Cereals & Cereal Preps	821	846	764
05	Fruit and Veg & Preps	309	345	281
06	Sugar & Sugar Preps	139	126	164
07	Coffee, tea, etc.	593	647	496
08	Animal feed	541	569	518
09	Misc. edible preps	996	1,106	1,047
11	Beverages	5,218	6,678	5,451
22 + S4	Oils/fats & Oilseeds	209	110	129
	Total	10,575	12,102	10,428

Table 13.1f Imports

SITC Division Code	Type	2021	2022	2023
Exports
01	Meat & Meat Preps	1,407	1,400	1,404
02	Dairy & Eggs	93	53	49
03	Fish & Fish Preps	3,233	3,152	2,639
04	Cereals & Cereal Preps	1,167	1,279	1,207
05	Fruit and Veg & Preps	4,668	4,640	4,680
06	Sugar & Sugar Preps	945	793	731
07	Coffee, tea, etc.	1,769	1,942	1,574
08	Animal feed	1,269	1,240	1,373
09	Misc. edible preps	1,497	1,215	789
11	Beverages	1,692	1,664	1,532
22 + S4	Oils/fats & Oilseeds	1,317	1,536	1,288
	Total	19,057	18,914	17,265

Notes: (tables 13.1a to 13.1f)

Defra’s aggregate ‘Food, Feed and Drink’ is composed of the following divisions from the Standard International Trade Classification:

1. Figures for 2023 are provisional and subject to revision.
2. Meat [01]: meat from cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, poultry, horses etc.; preparations including blood, juices, sausages, livers, offal.
3. Dairy [02]: includes milk (skimmed or otherwise), butter, buttermilk, cream, yoghurt, ice cream, whey, cheese and curd, all types of eggs both in and out of shell.
4. Fish [03]: All types of edible marine life excluding mammals, fresh, frozen, processed, prepared or preserved.
5. Cereals [04]: includes rice, wheat, barley, oats, maize, grain sorghum and preparations including sweet biscuits, waffles, gingerbread, and uncooked/unstuffed pasta.
6. Fruit and vegetables [05]: includes fresh, frozen or prepared fruit (except crystallised) and vegetables, nuts (except groundnuts), vegetable and fruit juices of all kinds except wine (see division 11), jams, marmalades, fruit or nut puree/paste etc.
7. Sugar [06]: includes both natural sugar and sugar confectionery (but not chocolate or cocoa), both natural and artificial honey, and liquorice.
8. Coffee, tea, etc. [07]: includes all types of tea, coffee (e.g. green, decaffeinated), extracts and substitutes thereof; cocoa and chocolate (of all kinds): all kinds of spices.
9. Animal feed [08]: includes hay, fodder, bran, sharps and other residues derived from cereals or leguminous plants, oil-cake and other solid residues, other residues, brewing dregs, all types of pet or animal food.
10. Miscellaneous [09]: includes margarine, shortening, homogenised products or preparations not elsewhere specified, sauces, vinegar, soups, yeasts, cooked/stuffed pasta, food preparations for infant use.
11. Beverages [11]: includes alcoholic drinks of all kinds; also natural or artificial mineral and aerated waters sweetened or otherwise.
12. Oils [22+S4]: includes groundnuts (peanuts), soya beans, sunflower seeds, rape seeds, palm nuts, linseed, poppy seeds etc., lard, pig fat, olive oil, rape oil, corn oil, linseed oil, beeswax etc.
13. Division 00, which covers all live animals, is excluded from the aggregate ‘Food, Feed and Drink’ because it includes non-food animals, particularly race horses. S4 stands for Section 4 in the SITC and covers animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes.

Source: HMRC

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Total value of trade in food, feed and drink by trading partner

Figure 13.2 Exports of food, feed and drink by country of destination 2023 (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Christopher Fell on +44 (0)208 720 3011
Email: trade-stats@defra.gov.uk

Country	£ million
Ireland	4093
France	2724
United States	2391
Netherlands	1965
Germany	1037
Spain	883
Belgium	774
China	761
Singapore	599
Poland	489

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Figure 13.3 Imports of food, feed and drink by country of dispatch 2023 (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Christopher Fell on +44 (0)208 720 3011
Email: trade-stats@defra.gov.uk

Country	£ million
Netherlands	7649
France	6275
Belgium	4894
Ireland	4800
Germany	4287
Spain	4226
Italy	3949
Poland	3387
Denmark	1363
Brazil	1326

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Value of exports and imports by degree of processing

Trade in food, feed and drink covers a wide range of products from raw agricultural commodities through to lightly processed foods such as meat, cheese and butter, powdered milk, flour and sugar to highly processed products such as confectionery, canned meats, jams, alcoholic drinks and ice cream. By grouping foods into unprocessed, lightly processed and highly processed, additional insights in trading patterns can be found.

Figure 13.4 Exports in food, feed and drink by degree of processing at 2023 prices (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Christopher Fell on +44 (0)208 720 3011
Email: trade-stats@defra.gov.uk

Text description of Figure 13.4: Figure 13.4 is a line chart showing the value of food, feed, and drink exports in millions of pounds at 2023 prices, broken down by degree of processing. Between 2010 and 2019, exports of highly and lightly processed goods increased steadily, with a greater fluctuation from 2019 onwards. Between 2010 and 2023, exports of unprocessed goods remained relatively stable. Data for 2023 remain provisional until September 2024 and will be updated in next year’s Agriculture in the UK publication.

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Exports of highly processed foods such as confectionery, canned meats, jams, alcoholic drinks and ice cream, increased by 9.4% in real term value between 2013 and 2023. Exports of lightly processed food and drink, i.e. goods that retain their raw recognisable form, such as meat, cheese, butter and oils & fats decreased by 2.2% in real term value between 2013 and 2023. Exports of unprocessed commodities, such as fresh fruit & vegetables, nuts, un-milled cereal and eggs, were 2.3% higher in real term value in 2023 than in 2013.

Figure 13.5 Imports in food, feed and drink by degree of processing at 2023 prices (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Christopher Fell on +44 (0)208 720 3011
Email: trade-stats@defra.gov.uk

Text description of Figure 13.5: Figure 13.5 is a line chart showing the value of food, feed, and drink imports in millions of pounds at 2023 prices, broken down by degree of processing. Between 2010 and 2019, imports of highly and lightly processed goods increased steadily. Imports fell in 2021, recovered in 2022, and have fallen again in 2023. Between 2010 and 2022, imports of unprocessed goods increased steadily, but have fallen in 2023. Data for 2023 remain provisional until September 2024 and will be updated in next year’s Agriculture in the UK publication.

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Imports of highly processed food and drink increased by 14% in real terms value between 2013 and 2023. Imports of lightly processed food and drink decreased by 8.2% in real terms value between 2013 and 2023. Imports of unprocessed commodities increased by 5.6% in real terms value between 2013 and 2023.

Value and volume of trade in key commodities

The value of exports across a range of different commodities has broadly increased year on year in recent times. However, in 2014 and 2015, commodity prices for many sectors fell, due to a slowdown of global economic markets and the effect of exchange rates. Subsequent years saw a return to export growth in most of the main product groups. However, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and EU Exit (including changes to data collection methods) have affected trade statistics since 2020.

The value of exports of whisky, the highest valued individual food, feed and drink export item, decreased by 18% in real terms from 2022 to £5.8 billion in 2023. This is 21% higher than 2013 in real terms. Compared to 2022’s increase on previous years, exports of beef and veal were reduced to £490 million in 2023. This was 1.1% higher than in 2013 in real terms. The value of exports of unmilled wheat remained high for the second consecutive year, increasing slightly between 2022 and 2023 (0.9% in real terms), driven by the favourable harvest in 2022. Note that trade for this commodity can fluctuate considerably between years, influenced by various conditions such as the quality and size of the UK harvest and global commodity prices. Exports of cheese decreased from 2022 by 5.3% in real terms to £819 million in 2023. Exports of poultry meat decreased by 19% to £196 million between 2022 and 2023 in real terms, remaining below pre-pandemic and EU Exit levels.

In 2023, imports of fresh fruit decreased by 3.9% in real terms from 2022 to £4.0 billion, while imports of fresh vegetables increased by 0.2% to £3.1 billion. Imports of both of these commodity groups remain below pre-pandemic and pre-EU Exit levels. Despite the slight decrease in fresh fruit imports, the range and quality of healthy eating options remains high. Imports of unmilled wheat decreased by 26% in real terms to £493 million.

The value of wine imports in 2023, a high value commodity, decreased by 7.5% in real terms from 2022, to £4.1 billion. The value of wine exported from the UK decreased by 18% from 2022 in real terms to £503 million in 2023.

The overall volume of exports of food, feed and drink in 2023 decreased from 2022 by 4.5% to 11.9 million tonnes. The trend over the last decade for the volume of exports has been slightly downwards year-on-year, linked to the economic slowdown followed by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and EU Exit. Import volumes have stabilised in recent years, the volume of imports was 39.5 million tonnes in 2023, 0.3% higher than 2013. Source: UK trade info.

The food, feed and drink index provides a comparison of trade which accounts for the value density of different food groups. For example, high value per tonne exports (e.g. whisky) are given more weight in this indicator than low value per tonne exports (e.g. wheat and barley). According to the index, food, feed and drink exports in 2023 decreased by 9.7% from 2022, while imports decreased by 2.2%.

Table 13.2a and 13.2b - Trade in key commodities in real terms at 2023 prices (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Christopher Fell on +44 (0)208 720 3011
Email: trade-stats@defra.gov.uk

Table 13.2a Exports

Commodity	2021	2022	2023
Whisky	5,423	7,018	5,762
Wine	547	613	503
Cheese	775	864	819
Poultry meat	258	240	196
Poultry meat products	87	110	114
Beef and veal	430	603	490
Wheat, unmilled	81	279	281
Lamb and mutton	531	554	547
Pork	361	353	281
Breakfast cereals	598	584	569
Milk and cream	387	445	367
Bacon and ham	39	54	47
Butter	249	290	221
Eggs and egg products	139	119	112
Fresh vegetables	84	90	82
Fresh fruit	72	67	70
Salmon (inc. smoked)	860	721	666

Table 13.2b Imports

Commodity	2021	2022	2023
Whisky	205	205	218
Wine	4,111	4,425	4,092
Cheese	2,470	2,054	1,985
Poultry meat	1,540	2,040	1,576
Poultry meat products	1,412	1,733	1,647
Beef and veal	1,767	1,560	1,246
Wheat, unmilled	660	666	493
Lamb and mutton	378	358	244
Pork	1,107	902	967
Breakfast cereals	338	407	383
Milk and cream	300	252	159
Bacon and ham	781	763	671
Butter	356	319	251
Eggs and egg products	221	251	354
Fresh vegetables	2,992	3,095	3,100
Fresh fruit	4,363	4,204	4,040
Salmon (inc. smoked)	831	765	688

Notes: See notes for table 13.3

Source: HMRC

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Table 13.3a and 13.3b - Trade in key commodities by volume (thousand tonnes unless otherwise specified); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Christopher Fell on +44 (0)208 720 3011
Email: trade-stats@defra.gov.uk

Table 13.3a Exports

Commodity	2021	2022	2023
Whisky (million litres pure alcohol)	396	478	387
Wine (million litres)	36	33	26
Cheese	154	176	180
Poultry meat	352	254	205
Poultry meat products	21	26	28
Beef and veal	103	124	104
Wheat, unmilled	294	865	1,155
Lamb and mutton	70	75	85
Pork	193	190	130
Breakfast cereals	172	179	160
Milk and cream	757	787	769
Bacon and ham	10	17	14
Butter	52	49	54
Eggs and egg products	34	32	30
Fresh vegetables	69	96	75
Fresh fruit	37	38	36
Salmon (inc. smoked)	115	91	77
Food, feed and drink index, 2009=100	109	117	105

Table 13.3b Imports

Commodity	2021	2022	2023
Whisky (million litres pure alcohol)	21	19	20
Wine (million litres)	1,376	1,314	1,249
Cheese	409	412	434
Poultry meat	408	503	515
Poultry meat products	324	420	439
Beef and veal	254	234	224
Wheat, unmilled	2,060	1,634	1,708
Lamb and mutton	47	54	48
Pork	336	322	332
Breakfast cereals	103	129	131
Milk and cream	343	306	237
Bacon and ham	174	202	181
Butter	57	54	58
Eggs and egg products	68	77	106
Fresh vegetables	1,978	2,044	2,061
Fresh fruit	3,327	3,277	3,148
Salmon (inc. smoked)	110	93	84
Food, feed and drink index, 2009=100	112	118	115

Notes: (Tables 13.2 and 13.3)

1. Figures for 2023 are provisional and subject to revision
2. Whisky includes bourbon, scotch (malted and blended) and other whiskies.
3. Wine includes grape must, vermouth and wine of fresh grapes (sparkling and still).
4. Cheese includes grated or powdered, processed, blue-veined and fresh (e.g. curd).
5. Poultry meat (inc. poultry offal) includes carcase meat, cuts and offal (inc. liver).
6. Poultry meat products includes prepared, preserved, salted or cooked poultry meat and offal (inc. liver).
7. Beef and veal includes carcase meat and cuts, both bone-in and boneless.
8. Wheat, unmilled includes durum, other wheat (inc. spelt) and meslin.
9. Lamb and mutton includes carcase meat and cuts, both bone-in and boneless.
10. Pork includes carcase meat and cuts, both bone-in and boneless.
11. Breakfast cereals includes cereal grains worked or prepared for breakfast cereals
12. Milk and cream includes milk (inc. skimmed milk) and cream, not concentrated or sweetened.
13. Fresh vegetables excludes potatoes, dried legumes and processed vegetables.
14. Fresh fruit excludes jams, juices, dried and processed fruit.
15. Salmon (inc. smoked) includes fresh, chilled, frozen or smoked, but not canned.
16. Note: Definitions of ‘fresh vegetables’ and ‘fresh fruit’ used have been revised in 2009 to be consistent with those used for AUK Chapter 5.

Source: HMRC

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