London, UK: The Food and Drink Federation has blamed structural change, rather than teething problems with Brexit, for a £2bn fall in food and drink exports to the EU in the first quarter of 2021.
Exports fell by 47% compared with the same period in 2020, according to figures from the FDF. The trade body said the decline was largely due to changes in the UK’s trading relationships, but said that the pandemic was also a factor.
Its analysis of HMRC data revealed that sales of dairy products fell by 90% while exports of cheese were down by two-thirds compared with 2020. At the same time whisky fell 32%, chocolate 37% and lamb and mutton 14%.
“The loss of £2bn of exports to the EU is a disaster for our industry, and is a very clear indication of the scale of losses that UK manufacturers face in the longer term due to new trade barriers with the EU,” said Dominic Goudie, the head of international trade at the FDF.
He called on the government to “stop prevaricating” over proposals to help exporters “shut out of trading with the EU”.
Overall, food and drink exports to Ireland fell by 70.8% year on year, by 63% to Spain, Italy 61% and Germany 55%.
The government said it was “too early to draw any firm conclusions” on the long- term impact of Brexit. It also pointed out that the pandemic had depressed demand.
