Total GB pig meat sales fell by 4.5% in volume, compared to the year before, in the 12 weeks to December 29, which includes the key Christmas period. Total spend remained stable though, as average prices were up 4.5%.

Primary fresh/frozen pork recorded particularly significant losses in both volumes (-8%) and value (-7%). Losses were driven by roasting joints and chops/steaks.

Although prices for primary pork moved above year-earlier levels during this period (+1%), prices have been increasing much more strongly throughout the supply chain. The SPP was 16% up on year-earlier levels by the end of 2019, and in November, primary pork import prices were 30% higher year-on-year.

Bacon sales continued to slide (vol -6%), though prices have recorded a strong 8% rise, which supported spend. There has been some growth in bacon from premium and healthy ranges while the standard tier has suffered.

Among other red meats, total lamb sales slipped by 4% in volume compared to the same period last year; prices were 2% higher. Total beef sales were quite stable in volume terms, falling by less than 1% year-on-year.

 

Simon King

AHDB Pork’s weekly pig prices, slaughter data and commentary for Great Britain

The EU-spec SPP has recorded another marginal decline in the week January 18. The average price declined by 0.09p on the week.

Prices typically fall early in the year; the five-year average decline of over the first three weeks is 2.7p. This reflects poorer demand at this time, and the potential for excess supply if too many pigs are rolled over the holiday period. This year, prices have barely moved, losing just 0.13p. The SPP remains well above both last year, and the five-year average.

Slaughter continued to rise, with the weekly estimate at 186,900 head. This is over 12,000 pigs more than at the same point last year. Reports suggest that demand was relatively steady, which would be expected at this time of year. Despite a recent lull, processors are expecting that exports to China will lift again in the coming weeks.

Carcase weights dropped back from last week (-130g) to average 86.3kg. Carcase weights tend to creep up over the festive period as pigs are rolled to accommodate processors’ kill schedules over the festive period.

In the week ending January 11, the EU-spec APP recorded some uplift, to average 163.97p/kg. In the same week the SPP recorded a slight decline. As such, the difference between the two widened to 1.57p.

For the week ending January 18, the 7kg weaner prices recorded a considerable lift on the week, putting prices almost £7 above the same week last year. Unfortunately, there was insufficient data to provide a 30kg weaner price this week.

The increase in EU pork exports, seen throughout 2019, has continued. November shipments were up 54% on the year at 315,000 tonnes. This reflects escalating Chinese import demand towards the end of 2019.

Shipments to China were over three times higher on the year while volumes to other typically important destinations (e.g. South Korea) declined significantly.

The average price of shipments to China has been increasing substantially, so it’s not surprising it has been “outbidding” volumes from other markets. In November, the average price of EU pork exports was €3.10/kg, 40% higher than last year.

The gains made throughout the year, mean EU pork exports for the year to date were up 26% at 2.48 million tonnes. Unsurprisingly, China was also the main growth market for the year as a whole.

 

Simon King

Farmers have warned of the dangers of focusing on UK livestock production or ‘inappropriate’ tree planting as ways to tackle the climate crisis.

Addressing the key findings in the latest Committee on Climate Change report, the Farmers’ Union of Wales warned that ‘agriculture alone can’t fix the problem’.

The report highlighted issues such as the need for a strong UK food production sector and the dangers of delivering emissions reductions at the expense of increasing reliance on food imported from countries with greater carbon footprints.

Agriculture is currently responsible for around 10% of UK emissions, with methane from livestock production making up just over half of this figure.

By comparison, transport and energy make up around a half of all UK emissions.

FUW president Glyn Roberts said: “This means that if we stopped producing food completely in the UK, 90 percent of the problem would still be there.

“Agriculture alone can’t fix the global problem and it will take each and every single one of us to take a hard look at what we consume and produce in terms of food, energy, electronics, motoring, travel and make adjustments.

“Farmers want to and are playing their part, and as acknowledged by the Committee switching away from Welsh and UK produced red meat would increase the nation’s carbon footprint because we have some of the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of meat reared anywhere in the world.”

 

China and the US have signed an agreement whereby the Asian country will remove the 30-month age limit for beef it imports from the US.

The ‘Phase 1′ Trade Agreement between the US and China – signed by Donald Trump last week – will also see China recognise the US’ beef and beef products traceability system.

The agreement covers agricultural and food products moving between the two countries, across several sectors.

Under the agreement, the US will also commit to “meeting or exceeding” the requirements for maintaining ‘negligible risk status’ for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). In return, China has committed to not impose import restrictions on US beef products as long as the latter country’s BSE status doesn’t change.

In terms of hormones, China will adopt ‘maximum residue levels’ for three hormones used in US beef cattle.

For the importation of live breeding cattle, the agreement states that, within one month of its coming into force, the two countries will “commence technical discussions” on preparing a US export health certificate, with a view to begin trading in live breeding cattle “as soon as possible”.

 

Charles O’Donnell

KIEV (Reuters) – The European Union has suspended imports of Ukrainian poultry meat and related products after Kiev reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu, the state food safety and consumer protection service said on Thursday.

The outbreak, the first such outbreak in nearly three years, was registered on a farm in the west-central part of the country.

Ukraine is a major European poultry meat exporters.

 

Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; editing by Jason Neely

THE owners of a slaughter house on the edge of Taunton have been accused of five serious breaches of safety and hygiene laws.

Stillman’s (Somerset) Ltd are contesting the charges relating to its operation at Staplegrove Mills, Staplegrove.

The case was mentioned at Taunton Magistrates’ Courts yesterday (Tuesday) and the defendant faces a five-day trial starting at the same court on Monday, February 3.

Stillman’s (Somerset) Ltd, based at Foxhill Farm, Blackborough, Cullompton, is accused of committing four of the offences between February 11 and 13 last year. The fifth count dates from February 15 to 18 last year.

All counts, which are denied by the company, relate to alleged breaches of the Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.

Stillman’s is accused of:

*placing on the market a product of animal origin that is part of a detained pig carcase without a health mark;

*failing to ensure that post mortem inspection of all slaughtered animals is carried out under suitable conditions by removing the detention tape and cutting a pig carcase without the permission of the competent authority;

*failed to comply with a requirement that until post mortem inspection is complete, parts of a slaughtered animal must remain identifiable as belonging to a given carcase by cutting and removing parts of a detained pig carcase prior to post mortem inspection being carried out;

*did not have in place systems and procedures to identify food business operators from who they had received and to who they had delivered products of animal origin by allowing parts of a detained pig carcase to leave the establishment without the commercial document;

*failed to give a named person assistance or information which that person may reasonably require of them for the performance or their functions under the hygiene regulations by furnishing that person information known to be false or misleading by producing an invoice with false or misleading information.

As well as its abattoir at Staplegrove and head office in Cullompton, Stillman’s has butcher’s shops in Tiverton and Taunton. The charges relate to alleged incidents at the Staplegrove abattoir.

 

Phil Hill

MILAN (Reuters) – Italy’s tax police seized and destroyed 9.5 tonnes of pork from China which was banned by the Health Ministry after African swine fever broke out in the Asian country, police in the northeastern city of Padoa said on Wednesday.

The illegally-imported pig meat was hidden under a shipment of vegetables from China in a storage facility near Padoa managed by a Chinese citizen.

The load of pork was destroyed and the man was charged with smuggling, trade in harmful foodstuffs and spreading of animal diseases, police added.

China said on Wednesday it found African swine fever virus in 5% of slaughterhouse samples.

HAMBURG (Reuters) – Germany and Poland are discussing new action to prevent the spread of the pig disease African swine fever (ASF) in wild boars in Poland close to the German border including border fences and increased hunting of the animals, Germany’s agriculture ministry said on Tuesday.

Poland recorded 55 outbreaks of ASF in wild boars in December, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said. The disease was found only 30 kilometers from Germany, one of Europes major pork exporters.

ASF is harmless to humans but often deadly in pigs. It originated in Africa before spreading to Europe and Asia and has already killed hundreds of million pigs, while reshaping global meat and feed markets.

Asian countries including China regularly impose import bans on pork from regions where it has been discovered, causing huge loss of business for meat exporters. Wild boars are spreading ASF and there are fears infected animals could bring the disease into Germany, threatening Germany’s huge pork exports to China.

Germany’s agriculture minister Julia Kloeckner and Polish agriculture minister Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski met in Berlin and agreed new measures to jointly contain the ASF outbreak in Poland and prevent it spreading to Germany, the German agriculture ministry said.

“Discussions include setting up a fenced corridor along the border to prevent infected wild boar moving into Germany,” the ministry said.

The two countries will discuss whether Germany’s civil defense force should help setting up fencing.

German regional state governments in Brandenburg and Saxony have already started building fences along the Polish border in an attempt to stop infected wild boar roaming into Germany.

The two ministers also agreed to prepare a joint statement about “a drastic reduction in the wild boar density, for example through shooting as an effective preventative measure.”

Germany has already relaxed some restrictions on wild boar hunting.

Germany’s government is also considering new regulations allowing temporary anti-wild boar fencing to be set up to seal off an area should a case be found in Germany, the ministry added.

 

Reporting by Michael Hogan, editing by Louise Heavens

Perthshire butcher Simon Howie is toasting the growing popularity of haggis across the UK as the company lands a six figure deal which will see company’s tradional dish on supermarket shelves in England and Wales.

The contract with Tesco, worth £670,000, will see the firm’s haggis in premium positions across the retailing giant’s 776 stores across England and Wales for the first time.

England and Wales now accounts for 60% of Simon Howie’s haggis sales – an increase of 6% from the previous year.

Howie’s market share of haggis now stands at 53% of all haggis sold during the traditional Burns night celebrations, with the company set to deliver the equivalent of 3.5 million individual portions – beating the previous record set for sales in 2019 by 200,000.

Simon Howie is also toasting a growing taste for the savoury pudding south of the border, with 60% of their haggis now sold in England and Wales, up 6% from the previous year.