fbpx
Print this page
Monday, 09 March 2020 10:59

UK records first ever trade surplus for dairy

Written by  Staff Reporters
The UK trade balance for all dairy products was positive in volume terms in 2019. The UK trade balance for all dairy products was positive in volume terms in 2019.

The UK has recorded its first trade surplus for dairy.

According to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), the UK trade balance for all dairy products was positive in volume terms in 2019. 

AHDB says there was a surplus of 95k tonnes of product, resulting in the first trade surplus on record since records began in 1997. 

Skim milk and buttermilk recorded the largest improvements in the trade balances.

AHDB says the improvement in the trade balance for skim milk is a “direct result” of shifting trade patterns across the Irish border, whereas buttermilk’s trade balance was influenced by reduced shipments from France, Belgium and Germany.

Cheese, yoghurt, and butter are still trading at a deficit, despite some growth in butter and cheese.

AHDB says the power trade surplus increased and the cream trade shifted from a trade deficit in 2018 to a surplus in 2019.

In value terms, there was still a trade deficit, however it has reduced since 2018, with the value of exports growing and the value of imports shrinking. 

AHDB says butter was a large contributor to the improvements to the trade deficit, thanks to reduced imports in 2019 and lower prices making the volume deficit worth less overall. 

More like this

Editorial: We are Trumped

OPINION: Nothing it seems can be done in the short term to get Donald Trump to change his mind about removing the unfair 15% tariffs that he’s imposed on New Zealand exports to the US.

Featured

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…