UK pork exporters explore opportunities in Chile

Four exporters spent two days meeting with importers and buyers, as well as visiting a processing plant and touring some of the main supermarkets when they arrived in Chile in September, according to a report from AHDB.

The delegates also attended the Espacio Food and Service Show in Santiago, where we had a stand to fly the flag for pork from the UK, as well as promote our high animal welfare standards and strong environmental credentials.

The show is one of the most important food industry events in Chile and is considered a gateway to the Latin American market, drawing key industry representatives from the hotel, restaurant, supermarket and fast-food sectors.

The aim of the visit, which was supported by the Department for International Trade, was to make valuable connections with potential buyers in Chile after the UK gained market access for pork earlier this year.

“Chile is a small market with a handful of main players, but the opportunities it presents to our pork exporters cannot be understated,” said Senior Export Manager (Americas), Susana Morris.

“After gaining market access earlier this year, it was crucial that we hosted this visit with our exporters to see where our products fit into the market,” she added. “We have seen that there is space for our high-end products, as Chilean consumers are interested in high animal welfare and sustainability – all the qualities that make pork from the UK attractive to consumers.”

The mission came a month after the first consignment of pork from the UK was shipped to Chile from Cranswick’s plant in Preston. Earlier this year, 27 pork processing sites in the UK were approved to export to Chile, enabling the first-ever shipments to this new market, which could be worth up to £20m over the first five years of trade.

Access was secured through collaborative working between AHDB, Defra, the UK Export Certification Partnership and the wider industry.

“Gaining access to the Chilean market was a great boost for our pork sector,” added Morris. “Our levy payers have told us they value the export work at AHDB and want to see it continue. Therefore, we will work with government and the wider industry to identify more new markets and ensure that our pork can be enjoyed in more countries around the world.”

Tags: food industry, UK, Market, Chile, animal welfare, pork