UK export data

The Guardian Mar 22, 2021 Data shows collapse of UK food and drink exports post-Brexit

UK’s HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) figures show massive year-on-year falls in trade in food and drink exports. Brexit trade disruptions are probably mostly to blame, but pre-Brexit stockpiling and the pandemic lockdowns have had an effect as well. During the pandemic, restaurants, hotels, and bars have been closed on and off, and have either hoarded what they need from the UK, or switched to other suppliers, resulting in weaker demand.

The January numbers are not encouraging;
-cheese exports down from £45m to £7m
-whisky exports from £105m to £40m
-chocolate exports from £41.4m to £13m
-beef exports down 92%
-salmon exports 98%
-trade in fish (including some completely banned live shellfish) down 79%

Comparing January 2020 to January 2021 is not straightforward, due to Brexit the whole trade environment has changed, and the pandemic lockdowns add to the picture, but these numbers do not exactly promise a rosy future. One line from the article says it all:

“Overall figures now show that food and drink exports collapsed in January, plunging overall by 75.5% year on year. Down to £256m from £1bn.”