United Kingdom (UK): Soybean imports 2002/03-2022/23

Soybean imports have been fluctuating for years. In the twelve months ending June 2023, imports weighed in at about 899.5 thousand metric tons, not including soybeans for sowing. Looking at data from the 1990s we can see a long-term decline in the import volume since then. Imports from the EU have been especially hit, seeing a decline from roughly a hundred thousand metric tons in the mid-nineties to a mere 23 thousand currently.

Soy product sales

While imports show no clear recent trend, soymilk sales volume in Great Britain is up by roughly 10 million liters from 2009 and amounted to 85.7 million liters in 2016. In the same time period, the sales volume of soy sauce produced in the UK grew from 1.4 thousand metric tons to almost 5.5 thousand tons.

Soy bean production

The biggest worldwide producers of soybeans are the U.S., Brazil and Argentina. Production in the UK remains negligible. However, new varieties of the plant that are better suited for the English climate, are being introduced and producers are expanding their soy crop area in the UK.