Salmon and whisky boosts UK exporters to record growth

More food and drinks sold abroad due to the fall of the pound, but continuation of weak currency and Brexit warned as potential pitfalls

Sales of Salmon, alongside Whiskey, chocolate and beer, helped UK exporters in the first half of 2017 (Little Fish Market)

Whisky, salmon and beer helped UK exporters see record growth in the first half of the year, according to figures released on Friday.

Salmon exports surged up by 53 per cent – pushing its total export valuation at £408m.

Whiskey topped the UK exports, changing in value by over 3 per cent, the Federation of Food and Drink said.

Chocolate, cheese, wine and pork are among other the UK’s more successful exports across the first six months of 2017.

A weak pound helped to boost UK competitiveness abroad, but the FDF said the currency weakness led to a rise in the cost of imported ingredients and raw materials.

Ireland, France and the US are the UK’s top destinations for food and drink exporters.

Sales to Spain and Japan slumped due to a drop in commodities such as wheat and barley.

Overall, the UK exported more food and drink to EU countries than to countries outside the EU, suggesting the bloc has helped UK food and drink businesses.

The report said the food and drink industry’s ambition is to grow exports of food and non-alcoholic drinks by a third, reaching £6bn by 2020

Ian Wright, director of the FDF, said: “The EU remains an essential market for UK exports as well as for supplies of key ingredients and raw materials used by our industry. We believe there are significant opportunities to grow our sector's exports further still.”

He added: “The continuing weakness of sterling is a concern”.

Food Minister George Eustice said the figures were “encouraging” and cited “further market access” in China for UK meat producers as a region of “opportunity”.