Mike Hedges AM welcomes news that Welsh food & drink exports up by almost 20%

Mike Hedges AM welcomes news that Welsh food & drink exports up by almost 20%

The value of food and drink exports from Wales has risen by almost 20% in the past year.

Mike said… ‘This is very welcome news indeed; food and drink exports play an expanding part of the local economy and the economy of Wales as a whole. We must continue to promote Welsh products at every opportunity to ensure that this period of growth is consolidated. I look forward to playing my part in this through my role as Chair of the Assembly Environment and Rural Affairs Committee’

This compares to a 9.5% increase for the UK as a whole over the same period.

Provisional data for the year ending December 2016 shows the value of food and drinks exports from Wales rose to £337.3million, a 19.8% rise on the same period in the previous year.

While the EU still remains the largest importer of Welsh food and drink, accounting for 72.4% of exports, there have been major increases in exports to the Middle East and North Africa.

The top Welsh food and drink export for the year was meat and meat preparations, accounting for almost 22% of all food and drink exports.

The latest data follows a push by the Welsh Government to raise Wales’ global profile. This includes support for Welsh food and drink producers to take part in a number of trade visits during 2016 and 2017 to key markets including Ireland, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Canada and the United Arab Emirates, with further visits planned for the remainder of the year to Germany, the USA and France.

It also follows the recent TasteWales event, organised by the Welsh Government, which brought together Welsh food and drink producers, global buyers and food industry professionals in the largest ever showcase of Welsh food and drink.