UK pork gains access to Mexican market in £19m export deal

UK pork producers have won a significant export breakthrough, securing access to Mexico’s rapidly expanding pork market in a deal valued at an estimated £19 million over five years.

This long-awaited agreement, the result of eight years of negotiations, opens the door for 12 approved UK processing sites to supply premium British pork products to Mexican consumers.

The negotiations were led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in partnership with the Food Standards Agency, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and the Department for Business and Trade.

Approved exporters span England and Northern Ireland, including Cranswick Country Foods (Hull, Watton, Ballymena), Pilgrim’s Pride (Spalding, Westerleigh, Bristol), Karro Food Group (Cookstown), Thermotraffic Ltd (Wrexham), Magnavale (Chesterfield), ABP Cold Store (Hull), Americold (Spalding), Turners (Soham) Ltd (Suffolk) and Interfrigo Ltd (Antrim).

With Mexican pork consumption growing by 5.4 percent annually between 2019 and 2024, British producers can capitalise on rising demand for everything from staple cuts like pork chops to offal prized in traditional dishes such as tacos de buche. The inclusion of offal and edible by-products represents a valuable opportunity to maximise carcase utilisation and boost sustainability, turning parts less favoured in the UK into sought-after delicacies in Mexico.

“Tremendous win” for pork producers

Reflecting on this achievement, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner welcomed the deal:

British pork is renowned for its exceptional quality and high welfare standards, so it’s no surprise to see global demand continuing to grow. This is a tremendous win for our pork producers and builds on our recent success in resuming exports to China.

It demonstrates this government’s unwavering commitment to securing better trade deals for British farmers and food producers.”

The deal also marks a breakthrough for Northern Ireland. Minister for the NI Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Andrew Muir, praised the high standards that made this possible:

I am delighted that Mexico has granted approval for Northern Ireland to export pork to its markets. This is testament to the exceptional standards we have in place here in Northern Ireland to produce high quality meat at an international level and demonstrates our commitment to supporting our important agri-food industry.”

Building on recent successes

This success forms part of the government’s broader Trade Strategy to strengthen rural economies, increase farmer incomes and boost UK agri-food exports globally. Recent wins include restored access for UK beef to the US market and the removal of Covid-era restrictions on unprocessed pork exports to China.

Looking ahead, further advantages are expected once Mexico ratifies the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This will remove tariffs of up to 20 percent on UK pork exports, making British products even more competitive in the Mexican market.

Industry leaders have welcomed the deal as a valuable boost to UK pig farmers. Jonathan Eckley, International Trade Development Director at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), said:

Access and broadening the scope of our pig meat exports to the significant Mexican market is very welcome news and a testament to our levy payers’ work in providing world class products, produced to the highest standards.”

Defra confirmed it will continue to work closely with exporters, producers and industry bodies to ensure smooth logistics and compliance as UK pork begins reaching Mexican distributors.