Consumers switched away from turkey during Christmas 2022 and favoured other meats such as lamb, new figures suggest.

The data from retail specialists Kantar show that consumers across GB spent £2.7m less on turkey crowns and joints compared with the previous Christmas period.

The main beneficiaries were chicken and lamb, with £1.2m more spent on lamb in December 2022.

The decline in turkey sales over the festive period may have been caused by the UK’s ongoing bird flu crisis, which has seen over 600,000 turkeys culled.

Responding to Kantar’s data, Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) has hailed the positive figures for lamb.

The levy board’s research showed that consumers were potentially switching away from turkey in 2022.

 

Farming UK

U.S. beef imports in South Korea reached an all-time high in 2022, with over 250,000 tons shipped during the year.

According to the U.S. Meat Export Federation on Tuesday, Korea imported 256,910 tons of American beef in 2022, accounting for 54 percent of its total beef imports, up 2.8 percentage points from the previous year. The value stood at $2.54 billion.

“Importers are bringing in more of U.S. beef after monitoring a rise in demand amid growing popularity of home meal replacements made with American beef,” said an unnamed official from the federation.

Korea imports beef from nine countries including the U.S., Australia, and Canada. Imports from the U.S. have been on a rise in recent years.

According to data from Korea Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation, U.S. beef imports surged 50 percent to 254,873 tons in 2021 from 169,000 tons in 2017. Imports from Australia, in the meantime, rose only 6 percent during the same period to 160,000 tons from 150,000 tons. Korea in 2021 was the largest importer of U.S. beef.

Market insiders projected that U.S. beef imports could surpass domestic production. In 2021, Korea consumed 716,472 tons of beef, of which 264,000 tons were local produced and 453,000 tons imported, including 255,000 tons from the U.S.

Demand for U.S. beef is expected to rise even further as the current 8 percent tariff will be removed from 2026 under Korea-U.S. free trade agreement.

 

By Jin Young-hwa and Han Yubin / Pulse

Cattle prices ended 2022 on historic highs, with prices peaking at 448.1p/kg, the highest on record, according to new AHDB analysis.

In the four weeks to 31 December, average prices for all prime cattle were slightly above the previous period at 442.6p/kg.

In the final week of the period, and year, prices reached 448.1p/kg, which is the highest on record, the levy board says.

Overall steer prices slightly increased on those seen in November, up 0.7p (0.1%), and ranged between 442.4p and 448.9p during the period.

When compared with the same timeframe last year, prices are up by 36.8p, or 9 percent, AHDB explains.

Overall heifer prices slightly increased to average 441.9p/kg, up by 0.9p (0.2%) on November, and 35.2p (8.7%) on December last year.

 

 

Farming UK

A government minister and a peer have been criticised after stating that New Zealand lamb was ‘better for the environment’ than home-produced lamb.

Lord Hannan of Kinsclere and the Minister for International Trade, Lord Johnson of Lainston spoke on international trade in favour of New Zealand lamb.

The two peers both stated during the House of Lords debate that lamb produced more than 11,000 miles away was ‘better for the environment’ than British lamb.

The UK signed a free trade agreement with New Zealand in February 2022, despite concerns from the farming industry over production standards.

Lord Hannan said: “There have been studies of the environmental impact of importing New Zealand lamb.

“Astonishingly, it turns out that New Zealand lamb eaten in London has a smaller carbon footprint than Welsh lamb eaten in London.”

Lord Johnson added: “As my noble friend Lord Hannan pointed out, having a New Zealand lamb chop on your plate in the House of Lords restaurant is better for the environment than having one that comes from another part of the UK.”

 

 

Farming UK

Chinese pork output rose by 4.6% in 2022 to reach its highest level in eight years, official Government data shows. 

China produced 55.41 million tonnes of pork last year, compared with 52.96mt in 2021 and the highest figure since the 56.71mt recorded in 2014, signifying that the Chinese pork sector is well and truly back on track after the disruption caused by its huge African swine outbreak.

Output was boosted by fourth-quarter production of 13.91mt, up nearly 1% on Q4 2021, despite a shortage of slaughterhouse labour due to COVID outbreaks, according to Reuters calculations of the data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

Reuters reported that farmers have been raising heavier pigs, hoping to benefit from an anticipated recovery in demand and prices, which could have been a factor in the increased output. This was encouraged by a rally in prices over the summer.

Although it has come down, the average liveweight was still on the high side at about 124.5kg last week and that will continue to pressure prices, according to analysts at Huachuang Agriculture.

Demand had, however, remained ‘tepid’ due to surging COVID-19 cases in China that meant many people stayed at home, causing prices to plunge. Meat consumption is forecast to improve, howeverm after China’s reopening from a strict three-year COVID policy, with more group dining and business gatherings to support demand.

 

Alistair Driver / Pig World

A number of people have been sentenced for their roles in a network that sold horse meat that could have been unfit to eat.

A total of 15 people from France, Belgium, and the Netherlands were sentenced at a Marseille court this past week in a case that began in June 2022, according to French media reports.

Belgian horse trader, Jean-Marc Decker, received four years in prison, two of which were suspended. He was also fined €100,000 ($108,000) and banned from having a job in the horse meat sector for five years.

Stijn De Visscher, a Dutch horse trader, was given the same jail sentence but a fine of €75,000 ($81,200) for his part in the events that occurred between 2010 and 2015.

Georges Gonzales, manager of the company Equi’d Sud, got four years in jail, three of which were suspended. He was fined €75,000 ($81,200) and stopped from working in the horse meat industry for five years.

A dozen other people received suspended sentences and fines of up to €30,000 ($32,500) while three defendants were cleared of all charges.

 

Food Safety News

Meat processing companies remain short of more than 2000 workers in a tight domestic labour market.

Further pressure on staffing is coming from staff absenteeism as workers isolate at home because of Covid.

Easing some of this pressure was the Government announcing in August an agreement that includes access to migrant workers for entry-level red meat processing roles at $24 per hour with a cap on visa numbers.

However, Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said this would only go some way to addressing labour shortages.

She said the companies would ultimately need an additional cap of overseas migrants to make up the shortfall.

“Without sufficient labour, companies cannot run their processing plants at full capacity.

“This means less opportunities for hard-working Kiwis, often in the regions to earn a good wage, and longer waiting times for farmers to get their livestock processed.

“That can have a flow-on impact for animal welfare, farmer wellbeing and the regional economy.”

 

Migrants account for less than 5% of a workforce dominated by New Zealand workers.

The association said they still play a critical role with 10 migrant workers enabling one night shift to run at a plant, employing 70 New Zealanders.

“Without sufficient labour, companies may be forced to reduce value-add processing by either sending more parts of the carcass for rendering into lower value meat and bone meal or freezing carcasses rather than further processing into value-add chilled and boneless cuts,” Ms Karapeeva said.

 

Tim Cronshaw / Rural Life NZ

There is expected to be 60,000-70,000 lambs/hoggets carried over into 2023, as a difficult 2022 shows it colours.

This is what Joe Burke, beef and livestock sector manager with Bord Bia, said during his presentation of the ‘Review of the lamb sector during 2022 and market outlook for 2023’. He said it is a result of reduced thrive, at times poor grazing conditions, and high production costs.

Joe was speaking at the Bord Bia marketing seminar last Friday (January 13) at the Killashee Hotel in Naas, Co. Kildare.

All of this, Burke said, led to a slower supply pattern in 2022 – so much so, that in quarter four of the year, average carcass weights were back almost 1.5kg.

In quarter four of 2022, the average lamb carcass weight was recorded at 20.3kg, whereas at the same time 12 months prior, the average lamb carcass was 21.8kg.

 

Michael Geary / Agriland

Leading British food manufacturer Kepak has become the first food business in the UK to offer free training places in partnership with The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink, encouraging individuals to consider a career the sector.

The Food Passports initiative gives participants the opportunity to complete courses relating to the food and drink industry, which can be used to help kickstart a career at the company thanks to Kepak also pledging to guarantee an interview for every candidate who complete the course.

Kepak has pledged to fund 100 training courses, with an additional 100 places at the company being match-funded by The National Skills Academy, taking the total to 200.

The training places are available across Scotland, England and Wales at four Kepak sites located in Aberdeen, Kirkham, Bodmin and Merthyr – where the company recently announced a £5.5m site investment to help meet rising demand for its products.

On being the first food company to pledge their support for the scheme, Cian Short, Early Careers Manager, Kepak Group said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining the food industry with many opportunities to start a career at Kepak being offered and the Food Passport scheme is a great way of gaining industry knowledge alongside developing necessary skills.

“Being the first food business to pledge training places and through our partnership with the NSA supporting initiatives like the Food Passport scheme, we will hopefully encourage many to consider a career in the industry with long term career prospects. At Kepak we are committed to supporting local communities and being a good employer, and this investment is further evidence of that commitment in action”

“Since it’s national launch last year, the Passport has gained considerable support as an innovative new recruitment route and it’s excellent to have businesses like Kepak on board and pledging preferential recognition including guaranteed interviews for holders,” said NSAFD Chief Executive, Louise Cairns.

Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan has accused a Government minister of ‘insulting’ British farmers, after he championed the benefits of buying New Zealand lamb.

Conservative Minister of State for International Trade, Lord Johnson, praised Kiwi lamb saying it was better for the environment to eat chops from the other side of the world than to eat those from elsewhere in the UK.

Speaking during the reading of the Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill, Lord Johnson of Lainston said: “As my noble friend Lord Hannan pointed out, having a New Zealand lamb chop on your plate in the House of Lords restaurant is better for the environment than having one that comes from another part of the UK.”

His remarks followed comments by Lord Hannan of Kingsclere that pointed to ‘scientific studies’ that found eating a lamb chop from New Zealand in London had a lower carbon footprint than one produced in England or Wales. Lord Hannan said that this was down to the ‘efficient’ nature and economies of scale employed by New Zealand farmers which enabled them to be both ‘cheap and more environmentally friendly’.

 

 

Jane Thynne / Farmers Guardian