Europeans import less British beef, cheese but buy more whisky

Europeans bought the least amount of food and beverages from the U.K. since at least 2012, as sales of products including cheese and beef plunged, according to the Food and Drink Federation.

The U.K.’s total food and drink exports to the European Union fell 16% to 4.9 billion pounds ($6.8 billion) in the first half from a year earlier due to the impact of Brexit as well as the affects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the federation said. 

Still, sales of whisky and salmon to the EU rose about 20% or more, and exports of British food and drink to non-EU countries rose 13%, with Colombia and Mexico buying more than twice as much as last year.

“The return to growth in exports to non-EU markets is welcome news, but it doesn’t make up for the disastrous loss of 2 billion pounds in sales to the EU,” FDF Head of International Trade Dominic Goudie said.