Animal
Health and Welfare Strategy indicators:
core indicator 6.1
Changes in the pattern of trade
Indicators are available in downloadable Adobe Acrobat 
format on request - For queries or information on this indicator contact Defra’s animal health and welfare statistics on +44 (0) 1904 456582 or email ahw.stats@defra.gsi.gov.uk.
| Vision: Consumers value the confidence they have in food produced safely from healthy animals that are well cared for. Consumers and retailers accept that higher standards of animal health and welfare are not cost free |
- Animal Health and Welfare Strategy – indicator fact sheet
- Animal Health and Welfare Strategy – indicator data sheet
Core indicator 6.1: Changes in the pattern of trade – indicator fact sheet
| Indicator | Balance of trade in bovine animal products, sheep and goats, pigs and pig meat |
| Data | Import and export value data for:
|
| Geographic coverage | United Kingdom |
| Years | 1988 to 2006 |
| Source | Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMR |
| Origin of data | Data collected by HMRC |
| Updates | This indicator was first published in November 2006 and will be updated on an annual basis as data becomes available. |
| Background | Overseas trade statistics are compiled from returns made to HMRC by importers and exporters. Before the completion of the Single Market in the EC at the end of 1992, all UK overseas trade data was compiled from Customs declarations made by traders. However, since the beginning of 1993, the collection of trade statistics has been divided into two categories: that transacted between the UK and countries outside the EC (extra-EC trade), and that between the UK and its EC partners (intra-EC trade). Extra-EC trade statistics are compiled, as before, from Customs declarations by importers, exporters and their agents. Intra-EC trade statistics are compiled using a system linked to traders’ VAT returns, known as Intrastat. Intrastat applies, with minor variations, to all EC Member States. In the UK all VAT-registered businesses are required to declare the total value of their supplies of goods to customers in other Member States (dispatches) and the total value of acquisitions of goods from suppliers in other Member States (arrivals). Traders whose annual value of arrivals or dispatches exceeds given “assimilation” thresholds (currently £221,000) are required to provide a supplementary declaration each month giving full details of these transactions. |
| Statistical & methodological information | Overseas trade statistics are compiled from returns made to HMRC by importers and exporters. The data are reliable for comparisons across time periods to be made, although any illegal trade will not be recorded in these statistics. |
| Further information | Further information on HMRC can be found at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ |
Core indicator 6.1: Changes in the pattern of trade – indicator data sheet
The UK has historically maintained a trade deficit in food which is reflected in the charts seen below. In the late 1990s, export bans on UK red meats played a part in increasing the food trade deficit. In relation to BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), on 27th March 1996, Commission Decision 96/239 instituted a ban on the exports of beef and beef products from the UK. In May 2006 a new regulation came into force lifting the ban on:
- Exports of boneless meat and meat products from UK bovines, born after 31-July 1996;
- Exports of bone-in meat from UK bovines born after 31-July 1996;
- Live cattle exports from the UK.
On 21st February 2001 following an outbreak of FMD (Foot and Mouth Disease), a ban on UK exports of live cattle, sheep, pigs and goats and also of meat, meat products, milk and milk products and certain other products from these animals was established. There were some recorded exports for the beginning part of 2001. The EU Standing Veterinary Committee lifted the remaining export restrictions in February 2002.
Chart 6.1(i) shows the trend in meat from bovine animals as a measure of the balance of trade.
- As can be seen in the low level of value of exports, the balance of UK trade in bovine products was substantially affected by the EU ban.
- Following the lifting of the ban, the value of exports of bovine animals and products increased almost 4-fold between 2005 and 2006, from £25 million to £95 million respectively. It remains to be seen whether exports will recover fully to their pre-ban levels.
Chart 6.1(ii) shows the trend in sheep and goats as a measure of the balance of trade.
- In February 2001 following an FMD outbreak, the EU banned all sheep and lamb product exports. The bans were lifted in early 2002 and exports continue to show a recovery in their value toward the pre-ban levels.
- The value of exports of UK sheep and goats increased from £214 million in 2005 to £235 million in 2006.
Chart 6.1(iii) shows the trend in pigs and pig meat as a measure of the balance of trade.
- The 2001 FMD EU ban of the export of pig meat was lifted in stages after October 2001. There has been some recovery in the value of pig meat exports but not to the levels seen in the mid to late 1990s.
- The value of exports of UK pigs and pig meat has remained fairly static since 2002, whereas the value of imports has risen from £914 million to £1,262 million.
- Imports have more than doubled between 1998 and 2006, displacing domestic production which has declined over this period as exchange rate movements and disease reduced the competitiveness of UK production.
Page last
modified:
12 October, 2007
Page published: 24 November, 2006