AHDB Hosts Asian and Mexican Buyers to Expand Dairy Exports
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) organised the mission on behalf of dairy levy payers as part of its export growth programme. Delegates came from Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Mexico, and represented businesses that already import dairy products or are assessing future suppliers.
The visitors toured British dairy production facilities and attended “Meet the Buyer” sessions in Manchester and London. Across the week, they held discussions with 23 exporters covering several product categories, including cheese, butter, yoghurt and ice cream. AHDB said the meetings were intended to create direct commercial contacts in markets it has identified as priorities.
UK dairy exports were worth £973m in the first six months of the year. Shipments to Asia and Oceania accounted for £79m over the same period, according to AHDB. The board has included Asia in its export development work through inward and outward missions, trade fairs and programmes focused on individual markets.
Mexico has been presented by AHDB as an emerging opportunity following Britain’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The agreement has improved market access for British dairy products, and the first consignment of British cheese was shipped to Mexico in October.
Lucy Randolph, AHDB’s head of international trade development, said the organisation hoped the mission would maintain momentum in the Mexican market. She said that visits to production sites and meetings with processors allowed buyers to assess British products directly and helped build confidence in the sector.
Dan Rush, international sales director at Shropshire cheesemaker Belton Farm, said exports were a substantial part of the company’s business. The farm sources milk from 65 farms within roughly a 20-mile radius, he said, and producers valued seeing their milk made into cheese sold overseas. Rush described the mission as a way for British dairy companies to present the range of the sector to international decision-makers.
The visit is part of a wider AHDB export strategy that has recently included market development programmes in Asia and the Middle East. The board’s International Trade Development team is due to support dairy and red-meat exporters at SIAL Paris from October 17th to 21st. In November, its dairy team plans to assist six export businesses on the UK pavilion at Food and Hotel China.
Randolph said international events such as SIAL and Food and Hotel China enabled exporters to meet overseas buyers and present information about product quality, provenance and production standards. AHDB said that bringing buyers and exporters together could provide commercial opportunities that individual companies might find difficult to reach independently.
