National statistics

Chapter 13: Overseas trade

Updated 20 February 2024

Summary

Key results for 2022 and compared to 2021 in real terms (adjusted for inflation).

• The value of food, feed and drink exports increased by £2.8 billion (13%) to £24.9 billion.
• The value of food, feed and drink imports increased by £3.0 billion (5.3%) to £58.1 billion.
• The trade gap in food, feed and drink increased slightly by £132 million (0.4%) to £33.2 billion.
• Principal destinations for exports were the Irish Republic (£3.9 billion), France (£2.7 billion), USA (£2.4 billion) and the Netherlands (£2 billion).
• The main countries of despatch for imports into the UK were the Netherlands (£7.3 billion), France (£5.8 billion), Irish Republic (£4.5 billion) and Belgium (£4.3 billion).
• Whisky continued to have the highest export value, totalling £6.4 billion. This was an increase of 28% compared to the previous year.
• Fresh fruit and vegetables together remained the highest value category for imports, totalling £6.6 billion, a decrease of 1.9% .
• Exports of fresh vegetables rose by 19.0% to £85 million, and exports of fresh fruit also rose by 3.3% to £64m.

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 2022 prices; United Kingdom

Enquiries: Lilian Oluwakuyide
Email: lilian.oluwakuyide@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 2022 prices, split by imports and exports. Since 2000, both imports and exports have steadily increased. Imports and exports fell between 2019 and 2021, before returning to 2019 levels in 2022. Data for 2022 remain provisional until September 2023 and will be updated in next year’s Agriculture in the UK publication.

Download the full Overseas trade dataset

The value of exports of food, feed and drink was £24.9 billion in 2022. To compare 2022 exports with previous years, it is necessary to adjust for the effects of economic inflation. The real terms value of exports was £2.8 billion or 13% higher in 2022 than 2021 but remains £0.8 billion or 3.1% below 2019 (pre-pandemic and pre-EU exit). Since 2005 the real terms value of exports has risen by £9.8 billion or 65%. 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 £58.1 billion in 2022. To compare 2022 imports with previous years it is necessary to adjust for the effects of economic inflation. The real terms value of imports was £3.0 billion or 5.3% higher in 2022 than 2021 but £0.4 billion or 0.7% lower than 2019 (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 £13.0 billion or 29%.

The trade gap for food, feed and drink widened by 0.4% between 2021 and 2022. Over the longer term it has widened by 11% from £30.0 billion (in 2005) to £33.2 billion (in 2022) in real terms.

Looking at exports of specific food, feed and drink types, the largest percentage increase in real terms between 2021 and 2022 occurred in the beverages category for which there was a rise of 23% to £9.2 billion, followed by exports of cereals & cereal preparations which increased by 19% to £2.6 billion. Exports of fish & fish preparations decreased by 7.5% to £1.7 billion.

In real terms, imports of oils/fats & oilseeds increased by 32% to £3.8 billion between 2021 and 2022. Imports of cereals & cereal preparations rose by 19% to £5.9 billion, and imports of beverages increased by 12% to £7.5 billion. Imports of dairy products & eggs decreased by 17% to £3.6 billion in 2022.

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

Table 13.1a Value of trade in food, feed and drink at 2022 prices (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Lilian Oluwakuyide
Email: lilian.oluwakuyide@defra.gov.uk

Table 13.1a Exports

SITC Division Code	Type	2020	2021	2022
Exports
1	Meat & Meat Preps	2,179	1,855	2,117
2	Dairy & Eggs	2,325	1,975	2,134
3	Fish & Fish Preps	1,971	1,870	1,729
4	Cereals & Cereal Preps	2,527	2,219	2,641
5	Fruit and Veg & Preps	1,262	853	1,008
6	Sugar & Sugar Preps	473	327	332
7	Coffee, tea, etc.	1,565	1,451	1,529
8	Animal feed	1,378	1,178	1,201
9	Misc. edible preps	2,383	2,087	2,191
11	Beverages	6,659	7,508	9,215
22 + S4	Oils/fats & Oilseeds	752	792	837
	Total	23,474	22,116	24,935

Table 13.1a Imports

SITC Division Code	Type	2020	2021	2022
Imports
1	Meat & Meat Preps	7,949	7,339	7,771
2	Dairy & Eggs	5,047	4,343	3,624
3	Fish & Fish Preps	3,656	3,832	3,661
4	Cereals & Cereal Preps	5,317	4,994	5,931
5	Fruit and Veg & Preps	12,831	11,730	12,304
6	Sugar & Sugar Preps	1,418	1,560	1,488
7	Coffee, tea, etc.	4,739	4,409	4,734
8	Animal feed	3,213	3,224	3,333
9	Misc. edible preps	4,720	4,202	4,003
11	Beverages	6,397	6,670	7,474
22+S4	Oils/fats & Oilseeds	2,946	2,881	3,815
	Total	58,234	55,184	58,136

Notes:

1. 2022 figures are provisional and subject to revision

Source: HMRC

Download the full Overseas trade dataset

Table 13.1b Value of trade in food, feed and drink with EU countries at 2022 prices (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Lilian Oluwakuyide
Email: lilian.oluwakuyide@defra.gov.uk

Table 13.1b Exports

SITC Division Code	Type	2020	2021	2022
Exports
1	Meat & Meat Preps	1,569	1,265	1,563
2	Dairy & Eggs	1,722	1,405	1,607
3	Fish & Fish Preps	1,506	1,359	1,209
4	Cereals & Cereal Preps	1,749	1,469	1,867
5	Fruit and Veg & Preps	963	577	680
6	Sugar & Sugar Preps	293	202	221
7	Coffee, tea, etc.	1,119	952	965
8	Animal feed	887	680	676
9	Misc. edible preps	1,513	1,231	1,238
11	Beverages	2,580	2,680	3,076
22 + S4	Oils/fats & Oilseeds	660	593	734
	Total	14,562	12,412	13,837

Table 13.1b Imports

SITC Division Code	Type	2020	2021	2022
Imports
1	Meat & Meat Preps	6,480	5,947	6,378
2	Dairy & Eggs	4,972	4,262	3,577
3	Fish & Fish Preps	1,207	837	749
4	Cereals & Cereal Preps	4,204	3,875	4,709
5	Fruit and Veg & Preps	8,394	7,094	7,742
6	Sugar & Sugar Preps	876	916	948
7	Coffee, tea, etc.	3,419	2,958	3,136
8	Animal feed	2,021	1,836	1,985
9	Misc. edible preps	3,754	3,238	3,221
11	Beverages	4,574	4,886	5,801
22 + S4	Oils/fats & Oilseeds	1,701	1,441	2,141
	Total	41,603	37,289	40,386

Notes:

1. Figures for 2022 are provisional and subject to revision.

Source: HMRC

Table 13.1c Value of trade in food, feed and drink with non-EU countries at 2022 prices (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Lilian Oluwakuyide
Email: lilian.oluwakuyide@defra.gov.uk

Table 13.1c Exports

SITC Division Code	Type	2020	2021	2022
Exports
1	Meat & Meat Preps	610	590	554
2	Dairy & Eggs	603	571	527
3	Fish & Fish Preps	464	511	520
4	Cereals & Cereal Preps	778	751	774
5	Fruit and Veg & Preps	298	276	328
6	Sugar & Sugar Preps	179	125	111
7	Coffee, tea, etc.	446	499	563
8	Animal feed	491	499	525
9	Misc. edible preps	870	856	953
11	Beverages	4,079	4,828	6,139
22 + S4	Oils/fats & Oilseeds	92	198	103
	Total	8,911	9,704	11,098

Table 13.1c Imports

SITC Division Code	Type	2020	2021	2022
Exports
1	Meat & Meat Preps	1,469	1,392	1,392
2	Dairy & Eggs	75	81	47
3	Fish & Fish Preps	2,449	2,995	2,913
4	Cereals & Cereal Preps	1,114	1,119	1,222
5	Fruit and Veg & Preps	4,437	4,636	4,563
6	Sugar & Sugar Preps	542	644	540
7	Coffee, tea, etc.	1,319	1,451	1,597
8	Animal feed	1,191	1,389	1,347
9	Misc. edible preps	966	964	782
11	Beverages	1,823	1,784	1,673
22+S4	Oils/fats & Oilseeds	1,245	1,440	1,674
	Total	16,631	17,895	17,750

Notes: (tables 13.1a, 13.1b and 13.1c)

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

1. Figures for 2022 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

Download the full Overseas trade dataset

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 2022; United Kingdom

Enquiries: Lilian Oluwakuyide
Email: lilian.oluwakuyide@defra.gov.uk

Country	£ million
Ireland	3850
France	2723
United States	2445
Netherlands	2027
Germany	1045
Spain	822
Belgium	801
China	760
Singapore	482
Italy	480

Download the full Overseas trade dataset

Figure 13.3 Imports of food, feed and drink by country of dispatch 2022; United Kingdom

Enquiries: Lilian Oluwakuyide
Email: lilian.oluwakuyide@defra.gov.uk

Country	£ million
Netherlands	7342
France	5835
Ireland	4547
Belgium	4253
Spain	3873
Germany	3858
Italy	3751
Poland	2851
United States	1330
Brazil	1298

Download the full Overseas trade dataset

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 2022 prices; United Kingdom

Enquiries: Lilian Oluwakuyide
Email: lilian.oluwakuyide@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 2022 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 2022, exports of unprocessed goods remained relatively stable. Data for 2022 remain provisional until September 2023 and will be updated in next year’s Agriculture in the UK publication.

Download the full Overseas trade dataset

Exports of highly processed foods such as confectionery, canned meats, jams, alcoholic drinks and ice cream, increased by 30% in real term value between 2012 and 2022. Exports of lightly processed food and drink, i.e. goods that retain their raw recognisable form, such as meat, cheese, butter and oils & fats increased by 17% in real term value between 2012 and 2022. Exports of unprocessed commodities, such as fresh fruit & vegetables, nuts, un-milled cereal and eggs were 9.6% lower in real term value in 2022 than in 2012.

Figure 13.5 Imports in food, feed and drink by degree of processing at 2022 prices; United Kingdom

Enquiries: Lilian Oluwakuyide
Email: lilian.oluwakuyide@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 2022 prices, broken down by degree of processing. Between 2010 and 2019, imports of highly and lightly processed goods increased steadily. Imports fell in 2021 before recovering in 2022. Between 2010 and 2022, imports of unprocessed goods increased steadily. Data for 2022 remain provisional until September 2023 and will be updated in next year’s Agriculture in the UK publication.

Download the full Overseas trade dataset

Imports of highly processed food and drink increased by 23% in real term value between 2012 and 2022. Imports of lightly processed food and drink increased by 5.5% in real term value between 2012 and 2022. Imports of unprocessed commodities increased by 30% in real term value between 2012 and 2022.

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 coronavirus 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, increased by 28% in real terms from 2021 to £6.4 billion in 2022. This is 48% higher than 2012 in real terms. Exports of beef and veal were £542 million in 2022, recovering from the reductions in 2020 and 2021. This was 24% higher than in 2012 in real terms. There was a considerable increase in the value of exports of unmilled wheat between 2021 and 2022 (250% in real terms), driven by the favourable harvest in 2021. 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 also increased by 12% in real terms to £786 million. Exports of poultrymeat decreased by 6.0% to £223 million between 2021 and 2022 in real terms, remaining below pre-pandemic and EU exit levels.

In 2022, imports of fresh fruit decreased by 4.6% in real terms from to £3.9 billion, while imports of fresh vegetables increased by 2.4% to £2.7 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 increased by 2.4% in real terms to £558 million.

The value of wine imports in 2022, a high value commodity, increased by 6.5% in real terms from 2021, to £4.1 billion. The value of wine exported from the UK increased by 11% from 2021 in real terms to £554 million in 2022.

The overall volume of exports of food, feed and drink in 2022 increased by 14% to 12.5 billion 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 Coronavirus pandemic and EU exit. Import volumes have stabilised in recent years; the volume of imports was 40.4 billion tonnes in 2022, 13% higher than 2012. 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 2022 increased by 7.5% from 2021, while imports increased by 5.1%.

Table 13.2a and 13.2b Trade in key commodities in real terms at 2022 prices (£ million); United Kingdom

Enquiries: Lilian Oluwakuyide
Email: lilian.oluwakuyide@defra.gov.uk

Table 13.2a Exports

Commodity	2020	2021	2022
Whisky	4,071	4,955	6,364
Wine	539	500	554
Cheese	834	704	786
Poultry meat	311	237	223
Poultry meat products	118	77	98
Beef and veal	408	385	542
Wheat, unmilled	102	72	252
Lamb and mutton	470	467	494
Pork	432	346	334
Breakfast cereals	570	538	531
Milk and cream	358	352	404
Bacon and ham	54	34	48
Butter	238	227	263
Eggs and egg products	150	126	109
Fresh vegetables	109	72	85
Fresh fruit	179	62	64
Salmon (inc. smoked)	706	833	700

Table 13.2b Imports

Commodity	2020	2021	2022
Whisky	211	198	196
Wine	3,697	3,854	4,104
Cheese	2,633	2,156	1,808
Poultry meat	1,208	1,197	1,614
Poultry meat products	1,478	1,243	1,522
Beef and veal	1,212	1,381	1,244
Wheat, unmilled	487	545	558
Lamb and mutton	431	366	342
Pork	1,087	855	710
Breakfast cereals	380	268	321
Milk and cream	187	262	221
Bacon and ham	639	603	601
Butter	372	311	281
Eggs and egg products	267	193	221
Fresh vegetables	2,853	2,674	2,737
Fresh fruit	4,314	4,091	3,903
Salmon (inc. smoked)	536	757	703

Notes: See notes for table 13.3

Source: HMRC

Download the full Overseas trade dataset

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

Enquiries: Lilian Oluwakuyide
Email: lilian.oluwakuyide@defra.gov.uk

Table 13.3a Exports

Commodity	2020	2021	2022
Whisky (million litres pure alcohol)	330	396	478
Wine (million litres)	93	36	33
Cheese	193	154	176
Poultry meat	452	352	254
Poultry meat products	30	21	26
Beef and veal	117	103	124
Wheat, unmilled	520	294	865
Lamb and mutton	88	70	75
Pork	260	193	190
Breakfast cereals	218	172	179
Milk and cream	792	757	787
Bacon and ham	14	10	17
Butter	61	52	49
Eggs and egg products	32	34	32
Fresh vegetables	108	69	96
Fresh fruit	178	37	38
Salmon (inc. smoked)	97	115	91
Food, feed and drink Index, 2009=100	119	108	117

Table 13.3b Imports

Commodity	2020	2021	2022
Whisky (million litres pure alcohol)	20	21	19
Wine (million litres)	1,485	1,376	1,314
Cheese	499	409	411
Poultry meat	416	408	503
Poultry meat products	362	324	420
Beef and veal	249	254	234
Wheat, unmilled	2,133	2,060	1,634
Lamb and mutton	59	47	54
Pork	388	336	322
Breakfast cereals	150	103	129
Milk and cream	220	343	306
Bacon and ham	171	174	202
Butter	79	57	54
Eggs and egg products	80	68	77
Fresh vegetables	2,213	1,978	2,044
Fresh fruit	3,564	3,327	3,277
Salmon (inc. smoked)	82	110	93
Food, feed and drink Index, 2009=100	121	111	117

Notes: (Tables 13.2 and 13.3)

1. Figures for 2022 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. Poultrymeat (inc. poultry offal) includes carcase meat, cuts and offal (inc. liver).
6. Poultry meat products includes prepared, preserved, salted or cooked poultrymeat 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

Download the full Overseas trade dataset

Methodology Changes

The method of calculating the real terms value of trade has been changed from the previous edition of this publication. Instead of using one Gross Domestic Product deflator (Office of National Statistics series YBGB), the calculations now apply specific implied deflators for trade (sourced from the MRET dataset from the Office of National Statistics) at an SITC (standard international trade classification) level for EU and Non-EU imports and exports. This has been done to better reflect trade inflation for commodities and trade flows.