LONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters) – New UK government regulations set to come into force in December could prevent thousands of British meat producers from exporting to the European Union, the industry warned on Tuesday.

The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) said a requirement for farms wishing to export to the EU to provide documents signed by vets that confirm visits to farms rather than the current system of farmer declaration was not achievable by the government’s Dec. 13 deadline.

It said that while the new rules would not impact farms covered by a UK Farm Assurance scheme such as Red Tractor, thousands of other farms would need to have a signed vet visit before the deadline.

It estimated the new rules, which it said have not been demanded by the EU, would take over a year to implement, partly due to a shortage of vets. It noted 72% of all UK meat exports go to the EU.

“If regulatory changes about to be introduced by Defra are allowed to go ahead on that date, a significant amount of the UK’s meat production will become non-compliant for export to the EU overnight,” the BMPA said in a letter to Defra minister Mark Spencer.

 

Reuters

Staff at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are being balloted for strike action that could affect meat supplies during the festive season, says UNISON.

The dispute involving several hundred inspectors, vets, and office-based staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland could bring the industry to a halt, according to the union.

Earlier in the year, FSA staff voted to reject a pay offer of between 2% and 5%.

UNISON says this is significantly lower than inflation – currently 9.9% – and falls short of the 10% pay claim put forward by the union.

The ballot closes on 31 October. UNISON says this could result in strikes in the run up to and over Christmas leading to less meat on supermarket shelves.

UNISON head of local government Mike Short said: “FSA staff play a vital role in keeping contaminated meat off people’s plates.

“But many have to work in a difficult and unpleasant conditions inspecting carcasses for signs of disease.

“These employees protect consumers, ensure good animal welfare, and must be rewarded accordingly.

“The FSA needs to come up with a significantly higher offer to avoid any disruption.”

 

 

A 24-hour operation at Dover port has uncovered large amounts of raw animal products, including from countries with African swine fever (ASF) in their pig herds.

The checks were carried out by the Dover Port Health Authority, following the move by the Government to clamp down on the movement of pork products into the country. From September 1, it has been illegal to bring pork or pork products weighing over 2kg into the country unless they are produced to the EU’s commercial standards.

As part of efforts to police this, Operation Ouzo, a multi-agency exercise to check the adequacy of existing controls at the border, took place at the port from Saturday lunchtime to Sunday lunchtime at the start of October.

Inspectors searched 22 vehicles of Romanian, Moldovan, Ukrainian and Polish origin, Dover MP Natalie Elphicke told a House of Commons debate on Dover’s border controls last week.

They discovered raw animal products loosely stored in carrier bags and paper tissue without temperature control, refrigeration or labelled identification, and mixed with ready-to-eat products such as cheese, crisps and cake, according to the 20-page operational report.

In one case, raw, unlabelled and loosely-wrapped pork was found at the bottom of a taped-up wheelie bin, which was filled with other products intended for free circulation within the UK.

“We need to remember that it is not 22 vehicles a day entering the UK at Dover. There are up to 10,000 vehicle movements across the channel each day,” Ms Elphicke said.

 

by Alistair Driver / Pig World

Pilgrim’s UK has announced an £800,000 investment in its Bromborough site as part of its ongoing strategy to maximise operational efficiency across its UK operations.

Two new inline processes have been installed at the site, a benchmark for operational excellence within the industry, and are now operational.

The new lines are speeding up the packing process and increasing capacity across some of the company’s most popular products, including pork kebabs, steaks, boneless leg and shoulder joints, increasing outputs by up to 10% per week.

Part of the investment has gone towards a new dusting facility that allows products to be seasoned with herbs and spices more efficiently, simultaneously coating the top and bottom of each product. The facility was utilised throughout barbecue season this summer to meet the increase in demand from Pilgrim’s UK’s retail customers, predominantly producing kebabs and steaks.

With the busy Christmas trading period on the horizon, Pilgrim’s is confident this investment will allow the site to meet increasing customer demand, which is expected to double during peak season.

 

by Alistair Driver / Pig World

The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, and Minerva Foods announce the acquisition of 100% of issued shares in the Australian Lamb Company (ALC), for AUD 400 million (approx. SAR 970 million). The acquisition was done through (Minerva Foods Australia), a joint venture established last year between SALIC and Minerva in Australia.

As one of the largest meat producers in Australia, ALC operates two processing facilities in Victoria State, with a capacity to process up to 3.78 million heads annually, equivalent to around 100 thousand ton of lamb and sheep meat, serving the domestic market with high quality meat products, and exporting to more than 70 counties around the world.

Sulaiman Al-Rumaih, CEO of SALIC Group, said that the acquisition of ALC in partnership with Minerva Foods is in-line with SALIC’s strategy to contribute to the national food security objectives through global diversified investments in countries with competitive advantage such as Australia, which accounts for 42% of global red meat exports, taking into consideration that sheep meat represents 49% of red meat consumption in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Al-Rumaih added that the acquisition is another successful expansion in Australia, following the acquisition of Merredin Farms in 2018 and the establishment of Minerva Foods Australia in partnership with Minerva Foods in 2021 which own and operates two processing facilities Western Australia.

Noting that SALIC owns 30.55% of the share capital of Minerva Foods, which operates more than 27 slaughterhouses globally and exports red meat to more than 100 countries around the world, including the Saudi market.

 

SALIC.COM

The International Trade Committee today calls for an analysis of potential risks to the UK’s food security arising from the New Zealand trade deal.

In a new report on the UK’s trade agreement with New Zealand, the cross-party Committee of MPs raises concerns over the elimination of tariffs on New Zealand goods and the impact of opening UK agri-food markets to cheaper imports.

Much of New Zealand’s beef, sheep-meat and dairy are cheaper than those produced in the UK due to lower production costs.

With the Government’s impact assessment predicting that the UK’s agriculture, forestry, fishing, and semi-processed food sectors could contract due to increased competition, the Committee questions whether the pros and cons of tariff liberalisation have been fully considered.

While concluding that, on balance, the agreement should be ratified, the Committee outlines that it presents few new opportunities for UK exporters, and suggests more export opportunities or greater safeguards for the sector could have been negotiated.

The MPs criticise the absence of a single, unifying Government trade strategy and call for the publication of a clearly defined vision for trade, showing how it balances different priorities in the best interests of consumers and businesses. The Government’s approach to negotiating new deals is characterised as reactive and hasty, and not joined-up across departments. The Committee notes that current Treasury plans to raise taxes on higher-alcohol content beverages could negate measures in the agreement aimed at reducing the price of New Zealand wines.

The Committee also expresses shock that the UK is signing trade deals without thoroughly understanding how they interact with the Northern Ireland Protocol. MPs call on the Government to provide reassurance on how agreements between the UK, the EU and New Zealand will interact so that Northern Ireland can benefit from the trade deal in the same way as the rest of the UK.

The report calls for MPs to be given the opportunity to debate the agreement during the Parliamentary scrutiny period, with the ability to show their support, or otherwise, for it through a vote.

 

 

UK Parliament

Northern WA’s only major abattoir will undergo a $35 million expansion in a bid to boost its processing capacity by 60 per cent. 

It comes just six months after Kimberley Meat Company (KMC) reopened the facility — about 100 kilometres east of Broome — after it was mothballed in 2020.

As part of the expansion, the KMC abattoir — owned by Yeeda Pastoral Company — will extend its boning room, cold storage capacity, yard size, and add a rendering plant to the facility.

It also plans to open a butcher shop in Broome.

The expansion will allow the facility to increase its annual throughput to 85,000 head of cattle with a daily processing increase from 250 to 400 animals within the next year.

KMC chief executive David Larkin said the development would also provide pastoralists with the option to sell feeder cattle to the facility, rather than just heavier slaughter cattle.

“There are a lot of good feeder cattle that are produced in the Kimberley and we think we can add value to those, increase our numbers and give the producers another option other than live export,” he said.

 

By Stephanie Sinclair / ABC Kimberley

New research has shown that British Aberdeen-Angus beef is a one of the most popular premium meat brands for UK supermarkets to stock.

The mystery shopper data analysis was carried out by the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society and revealed that the native breed is a popular choice for the UK consumer across of big-name supermarkets including Aldi, Asda, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer.

According to the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society, farming the popular breed has a variety of benefits including high growth rates, its ability to withstand unpredictable weather and the fact the cattle can be fed with low cost feed.

Though it is a premium product, the mystery shopper research found that British Aberdeen Angus beef is still extremely popular amongst UK supermarkets, something that Robert Gilchrist, the Society’s CEO has said to be a testament to the hard work farmers put in to producing beef with such a high meat-eating quality.

“It is especially reassuring to see such a strong brand presence in both discount retailers and the more high-end supermarkets,” said Gilchrist.

 

New Food

Perthshire butcher Simon Howie has revealed his energy costs have increased 10-fold since the start of the crisis.

The entrepreneur has said it’s bringing a “significant” challenge to his butchery business.

He has been left with no choice but to pass on increased costs to customers.

“It puts a lot of pressure on the business,” he said.

“It means we’re having to do our best to pass these cost increases on.

“But that’s not an easy thing to do in the current climate.”

Mr Howie said the business’ price per kWh has increased 10-fold recently.

He also accused energy companies of “bullying” behaviour through its increase in prices.

“Energy is being priced based on the value of gas,” he added.

“Anecdotally the country can come off fossil fuels because we’ve got so much renewable energy, yet we’re finding the price of electricity is going up between five and 10 times.

“Why is that? We don’t produce most of it from fossil fuels. There’s only one gas fired power station in Scotland. Why are we being penalised by our energy costs?

 

by Gavin Harper / The Courier

Six of the outbreaks in Norfolk were on chicken and turkey farms run by Mr Gorton.

He said he lost 100,000 birds, which is 10% of his stock.

“We’ve never known it as bad as this… we just don’t seem to be able to get it under control,” he said.

Mr Gorton said avian flu would “normally die out over the summer but it’s actually getting worse”.