More people are buyng British

Shoppers buying British produce instead of foreign alternatives have helped to reduce meat imports in the first half of this year.

The number of shoppers choosing British-reared meat over foreign competitors appears to be on the increase, with the amount of beef, lamb and pork entering the country all declining.

The news will be a welcome relief to farmers who faced a torrid 2007, as the devastating impact of the summer floods, foot and mouth disease worries, blue tongue and avian flu all contributed to one of the most depressing years for agriculture in recent memory, leading to meat imports at an all-time high.

Now, new figures from pig, beef and sheep industry groups show a significant reduction in the amount of foreign meat being imported.

Latest statistics from the British Pig Executive (Bpex) show the amount of pork entering the UK between January and May was nearly 20,000 tonnes lower than the same period last year, a reduction of nearly 10 per cent year on year.

Figures from Eblex, the industry body for beef and lamb levy-payers for the UK, revealed the amount of sheep meat being imported fell by more than 2,000 tonnes since the start of the year, nearly four per cent lower than the corresponding period in 2007. And beef imports declined by more than three per cent to 105,000 tonnes, as compared with 109,000 in 2007.