18 Jun 2021 --- Exports of food and drink to non-EU markets topped sales to the EU in the first quarter of 2021, with EU sales falling by 47 percent compared with Q1 2020, as a result of the on-going impacts of COVID-19 and changes in the UK’s trading relationships. This is according to new analysis by the UK Food and Drink Federation (FDF), which reveals that sales to non-EU nations accounted for 55 percent of all UK food and drink exports, with exports to the EU having fallen by £2 billion (US$2.8 billion) compared to Q1 2019. “The loss of £2 billion [US$2.8 billion] of exports to the EU is a disaster for our industry, and is a very clear indication of the scale of losses that UK manufacturers face in the longer-term due to new trade barriers with the EU,” shares Dominic Goudie, head of international trade at FDF.
