Argentina is expected to allow beef exports to resume, with restrictions, after enforcing a snap 30-day ban last month.

Key points:

• Argentinian beef exports to resume next week, according to local news
• President Alberto Fernandez put snap 30-day ban on beef exports last month to control meat prices
• Some beef still exported to USA and Eurpoe during ban, analyst says

Meat analyst Simon Quilty said it seemed the government wanted to make sure the majority of beef stayed in the nation.

“The government had come out wanting to prevent 60 per cent of exports, and the exporters were willing to try to get 40 per cent of exports prevented,” he said.

“So a compromise is what is now being discussed and, as I understand it, 50 per cent of exports will not go, and therefore remain on the domestic market.”

Mr Quilty said if Argentina’s beef exports were reduced by 50 per cent, around 250,000 tonnes of beef would be removed from the global beef market.

“The biggest loser out of this will be China, without doubt,” he said.

 

 

Sheep producers have raised concerns over the availability and capacity of UK abattoirs after the government announced a ban on live exports.

The UK is set to become the first European country to end live exports after new powers were unveiled seeking to boost animal welfare.

The second Animal Welfare Bill was launched last week as part of the government’s ambition to ‘protect pets, livestock and wild animals’.

But the National Sheep Association (NSA) has now questioned the sector’s capability of meeting some of the wider implications of the Bill.

Particularly, the Bill’s aim of reducing travel time from the point of production to slaughter ‘needs to also address the availability, capacity and location of abattoirs and slaughter facilities’.

The NSA added there was also a ‘real shortage’ of staff and labour at these smaller sites.

Chief executive Phil Stocker said: “For years we have heard that the UK has over capacity in slaughtering, and in theory, this might be correct.

“But with increased stock to be slaughtered, pressure on journey times, and a shortage of available labour there needs to be investment in options rather than just the application of restrictions.”

To be able to cater for a ban on live exports, the group believes there needs to be sufficient locally placed abattoirs in livestock rearing areas with attention given to their operation to ensure they can provide the appropriate service.

 

By Farming UK 

Kerry Group is to sell its consumer foods’ meats and meals business in the UK and Ireland to US food company Pilgrim’s Pride for €819m in cash.

The meats business includes branded and private label meats, meat snacks, food-to-go and meat-free products in the UK and Ireland.

The brands include Denny, Galtee, Richmond, Fridge Raiders and Rollover.

The meals business primarily serves the UK market, providing products to a range of chilled and frozen ready meals as well as home delivery and ready to cook meals to retailers including Sainsburys and Tesco.

Last year, the divisions made a profit before tax of €63m off the back of revenue of €828m.

The sale is part of Kerry’s stated strategy to aggressively focus activities on its taste and nutrition divisions.

“This transaction further enhances Kerry’s focus as a leading business to business ingredient solutions provider for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets,” said Edmond Scanlon, Kery Group CEO.

“Pilgrim’s is a global provider of high-quality food products and I am convinced they will make an excellent future owner of the Meats and Meals business.”

4,500 staff work in the businesses that have been sold, with around 3,000 of those in the UK.

 

 

By Will Goodbody / RTE

 

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has dropped criminal action against meat supplier Russell Hume because of a “technical legal error” made during the investigation.

The investigation into the meat supplier began in January 2018 because of food hygiene issues. The firm went into administration with up to 300 jobs lost shortly afterward. At the time, Russell Hume officials said the regulator’s actions had been “out of proportion to the concerns identified.”

Action followed a routine unannounced inspection in January 2018 at Russell Hume’s Birmingham factory, but subsequent investigations at five other sites showed “significant and systemic” problems with inadequate food safety management systems, according to the FSA. A total of 400 tons of meat were destroyed because of concerns about out-of-date product being relabeled.

In October 2020, the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) reviewed the investigation, called Operation Orchid, and raised concerns because of a technical legal error in the way it was conducted during the early stages in 2018. Following legal advice, the FSA decided not to pursue further action against the directors of Russell Hume.

The FSA said it has since enhanced investigative capabilities at NFCU and improved internal systems and processes to reduce the chance of a similar error in future inquiries.

“We’ve made quite a difficult decision to take no further action against the people who were under investigation in relation to fraud at Russell Hume,” said Emily Miles, the FSA’s chief executive during a Business Committee meeting.

“Russell Hume knowingly misled their customers in the way they labeled meat in respect of traceability and shelf life and we found that in 2018 and took a number of steps then to ensure meat was destroyed.

“We had been pursuing a criminal investigation but we made a technical legal error in the way the investigation was conducted in its early stages and we’ve only discovered recently that means we are not able to pursue the case. A contributory factor to that was we don’t have access to Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) powers, it is not the only reason we made the error, but it would have made a difference.”

 

 

 

UK poultry farmers will soon have their produce served on Japanese plates thanks to a new export deal worth an estimated £65 million over five years.

The UK Government says it has secured an agreement to export UK poultry meat to Japan, in a deal worth up to £13m a year for the poultry sector.

It said the deal, which follows four years of negotiations to agree specific animal health requirements, would create new opportunities for UK farmers and exporters, with shipments of UK poultry meat due to start going across to Japan this month.

“Our high-quality poultry with its exceptional flavour is renowned around the world, as are the high standards of food safety and animal welfare demonstrated by farmers and producers across the UK,” said UK Food Minister, Victoria Prentis.

“The Japanese market will now be able to enjoy more of our unique produce, adding to an already varied collection of UK food, such as pork, beef and lamb, already available to its customers.”

She added: “We are working hard to open new markets for our agri-food businesses, and this is a significant opportunity for the UK poultry sector.”

 

By Gemma Mackenzie / The Courier

More Australian beef and lamb will be exported to the UK as import taxes are phased out over a decade under a free trade deal between the two nations.

People up to the age of 35 will be eligible for working holiday visas in both countries, while UK backpackers will no longer have to work 88 days on farms to extend their stay.

The in-principle agreement is the first British deal with another country since the nation’s acrimonious divorce from the European Union.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his UK counterpart Boris Johnson announced the agreement on Tuesday evening Australian time after face-to-face negotiations in London.

“Our economies are stronger by these agreements. This is the most comprehensive and ambitious agreement that Australia has concluded,” Mr Morrison told reporters at 10 Downing Street.

Beef and sheep meat tariffs will be eliminated after 10 years with duty-free quotas rising over the period.

Sugar duties will be phased out over eight years, with dairy tariffs scrapped after five years of increased quotas.

Agriculture was a key sticking point in reaching the deal, with British farmers concerned about competing against Australian products.

“We’re opening up to Australia, but we’re doing it in a staggered way and we’re doing it over 15 years,” Mr Johnson said.

 

by Matt Coughlan / The Canberra Times

A butchers says it has ‘revolutionised’ the UK halal meat industry with its new data driven store.

Tariq Halal Meats will open their new branch in Stratford Shopping Centre, East London in August which will include ‘touch technology’ and E-shelf labelling.

 

By Shuiab Khan / Asian Image

Tariffs will be scrapped immediately on imported beef and lamb from Australia, triggering accusations that the trade deal struck by Boris Johnson will send UK farmers “to the wall”.

The small print of the first major post-Brexit agreement – revealed by Canberra, as the UK government tried to keep it under wraps – revealed a pledge to protect farmers for 15 years has been dropped.

Instead, Australian farmers will effectively be handed tariff-free access from day one, up to a “cap” on sales that is 60 times the current level of imported beef.

The detail was revealed as experts warned the overall economic boost from the deal would be “close to zero” – and the government admitted the average household would be just £1.20 a year better off.

The National Farmers Union demanded ministers come clean on exactly what has been agreed, “to ensure our high standards of production are not undermined by the terms of this deal”.

Emily Thornberry, Labour’s shadow trade secretary, also said: “No other country in the world would accept such a terrible deal for its farming industry, and neither should we.

“With this deal, and the precedent it sets for New Zealand, America, Canada and Brazil, the government will send thousands of farmers to the wall, undermine our standards of animal welfare and environmental protection, and threaten the conservation of our countryside.”

 

 

by Rob Merrick / Independent

During March, Irish cattle slaughter (incl. cows and calves) dropped back by 6.1% on the same month last year, according to according to Central Statistics Office data. Overall, Q1 Irish cattle slaughter fell by 13.6% year on year to total 434,100 head.

The reduced slaughter numbers are not unexpected, with higher slaughter throughputs last autumn tightening the supply of cattle available now. Industry estimates forecast a 3% fewer cattle to be slaughtered (50,000 head) during 2021. This tighter supply may be helping to support prices in Ireland, as well as also limiting the volume of beef available for export.

Global Irish beef exports during Q1 2021 were down 22% year on year, totalling 105,400 tonnes. Less beef was exported to GB with export volumes for the quarter back 38%, a reduction of 18,200 tonnes compared to the same period last year. Irish beef exports initially dropped back in January following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, and have since been steadily recovering month on month.

Irish cattle prices have been on the rise in recent months. For the week ending 8 May, Irish R3 steers averaged €4.11/kg deadweight, up €0.63 on the same week last year. Looking at global prices, Irish prices have been narrowing the discount to prices here. Irish prices remain above current prices in New Zealand and Brazil but below those in Australia.

With high cattle prices in Great Britain, there is potential for exports from Ireland to increase in the coming months, possibly helped by the re-opening of the foodservice sector, although availability of production in Ireland may limit volumes to a degree.

 

 

By Charlie Reeve / AHDB

Lamb prices in New Zealand have been rising in recent weeks but still remain well below the high GB farmgate prices observed during the last few months. The gap between farmgate prices in New Zealand and the UK is currently in excess of £2/kg deadweight.

Seasonal trends from previous years indicate that this price gap will tighten, as increased volumes of new season lamb becomes available in the UK in the coming months, putting pressure on the UK’s domestic farmgate price.

The current high gap between UK and New Zealand prices would of course make the UK market more attractive to New Zealand lamb imports, if volumes are available.

New Zealand production was reported to be up by 40% year on year during March due to favourable conditions, according to Beef & Lamb New Zealand. During Q1, lamb throughputs were up 4% on 2020 and 1% on the five-year average. These higher production figures in New Zealand will increase supplies available for export. However, the destination of these exports will be determined by global prices and demand levels from Asian markets.

UK imports during Q1 from New Zealand have dropped back below last year’s levels, to the lowest levels for Q1 during the last decade. Traditionally, Q1 has the largest volume of sheepmeat imports from New Zealand to the UK.

 

 

 

By Charlie Reeve / AHDB