Danish pork still in demand in the UK

In the first nine months of 2009 the UK bought almost 69,000 tonnes of Danish bacon which is about the same amount as in 2008, according to official data released by the Danish Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

An official consultant of the ministry, Klaus Jorgensen, said that Denmark appears to succeed despite increased competition.

No decline

“We are not experiencing the same decline as other countries because of the weakening British pound. Sales of bacon to Britain are stable, and although we have no figures for the whole of 2009 yet, we anticipate that this trend will remain for the whole year,” says Klaus Jorgensen.

The low rate of the pound has intensified competition for exporters to the UK market. The weakening pound makes products such as bacon and ham from Denmark and the EU more expensive in Great Britain.

In total, British pork imports fell by 12% in the first nine months of 2009 compared to same period in 2008.

In addition to bacon, export of other Danish pork products, (in particular, ham) to the UK in 2009 has also remained at the same level as in 2008. (Evegen Vorotnikov)