Welsh meat looks to boost exports
The association is hoping to put in place a new European agent, to be based in the Netherlands, in order to boost its exports, which were worth more than £224m to the economy in 2013.
The move follows its recent success on the Scandinavian market, which has seen sales to the region increase from £1.5m in 2011 to £4.6m last year, as well as a deal with Italian chain Bennet, which saw Welsh Beef being promoted in Italy for the first time.
Laura Pickup, market development manager at HCC, said: "We have representatives in countries across the world, all working hard to promote the merits of PGI Welsh Lamb and PGI Welsh Beef to existing and potentially new customers.
"The outstanding success we have achieved in Scandinavia has encouraged us to look to further develop the Netherlands for our premium quality produce. While we already export £4.5 million of PGI Welsh Lamb and nearly £14.3 million of PGI Welsh Beef to the Netherlands, our research indicates that there is still room for improvement."
The news was announced at the Royal Welsh Show today (21 July).
Exports for Welsh lamb and beef continue to grow and a recent announcement revealed they contributed more than £224m to the Welsh economy in 2013. Lamb in particular is rising, up £7m on 2012 to a total value of £154.7m.
