The Asian market has had a significant impact on the value of UK red meat exports in the first half of 2022. 

The latest data from HMRC shows that China remains the largest importer of UK pig meat, as export values reached nearly £88 million in the year to date. Furthermore, more than half of the 108,294 tonnes of UK pig meat exported to non-EU countries went to China, closely followed by the Philippines.

The Philippines has become the world’s third largest importer of UK pork, with the first six months of 2022 recording shipment values of £25.9m – an increase of 14.8% on figures for the same period last year.

Pig meat and beef shipments to Japan have also increased; pig meat shipments totalled nearly £3.2m, while beef exports have increased to £9.2m, from £2.8m, in the first six months of the year.

AHDB head of exports Jonathan Eckley said: “Asian markets continue to prove a hugely valuable market for the UK’s red meat sector, despite many challenges on the global stage this year. While volumes to some countries may be quite low, these markets are vital in addressing the issue of carcase balance and utilising cuts that are less popular here in the UK but attract significant value in the Far East.”

“We will continue to work with government and levy payers to open more new markets in the Far East and develop the region further, including attendance at trade shows to showcase the high-quality red meat we produce here in the UK.”

 

by Meghan Taylor / Pig World

 

By Charlotte Forkes-Rees / AHDB

 

by Charlotte Forkes-Rees / AHDB

This week the security of UK Co2 supplies to critical industries like health, nuclear and food took a a major blow.

We had the twin announcements of the imminent cessation of production at CF Industries’ last remaining UK fertiliser plant alongside the planned September shut down for maintenance of the only other significant Co2 manufacturing plant at Ensus in Teeside.

Coupled with similar closures and the scaling back of production right across Europe, this looks set to herald a supply squeeze and steep price rise that has not been seen before as industries compete for a dwindling supply of the gas. In fact, reports are already surfacing of huge price hikes from the big wholesale gas suppliers like BOC and Nippon.

So far, the line taken by Government is that it’s up to industry to sort it out amongst themselves with one spokesperson commenting: “While the government continues to examine options for the market to improve resilience over the longer term, it is essential industry acts in the interests of the public and business to do everything it can to meet demand.”

Given this week’s developments, this approach could result in more of a darwinian free-for-all than an orderly free market adjustment.

 

By The British Meat Processors Association

ABP Food Group has begun flying beef from Ireland to a high-end retailer in Singapore, where certified Angus striploin steaks are retailing at around €72/kg.

Ryan’s Grocery, will also stock lamb from Irish Country Meats (ICM), ABP’s specialist sheepmeat company, at their two locations in Singapore.

This is the first retail listing for Irish sheepmeat in the Singapore market.

Speaking to Agriland in Singapore, Martin McMahon, general manager of ABP international sales, explained that the beef is flown out fresh from ABP Cahir in Co. Tipperary weekly.

“We started exporting some chilled high-value products to Ryan’s Grocery about three or four months ago and the business is growing,” he said.

ABP is planning to run promotions in the supermarket in the coming months to establish a foothold in the market.

 

By Aisling O’Brien / Agriland

The closure of an independent abattoir that has been in business for more than a hundred years over five generations will spark anxiety amongst farmers who rely on such operations for their own livelihoods.

Mettrick’s abattoir in Glossop on the South Yorkshire border closed on Wednesday with the butcher, who ironically champions the fight to save small abattoirs in his other roles, saying increasing regulations and red-tape and inexperienced vets have created conflict causing staff to become demoralised and leave.

It is an industry that is already suffering labour shortages and, in John Mettrick’s case, has seen his fully qualified slaughterman along with two fully qualified butchers leave the industry giving him no choice but to close the abattoir.

 

By Emma Ryan / Yorkshire Post

With the cost of living crisis hitting households across the UK, Cedric Porter takes a look at the impact on consumer spending.

Consumers are cutting back on meat consumption as they change purchasing habits to cope with the cost of living.

Food price inflation has been rising at its fastest rate for 40 years. In July the Food and Catering Retail Price Index, as measured by the Office for National Statistics, was 11.9 per cent higher than the year before.

As recently as May 2021 the index was in negative territory. The rising cost of food not only reflects higher crop and livestock prices, but higher energy, packaging and transport costs.

There is evidence that higher retail food prices are leading to fewer sales. Beef sales in the 12 weeks to August 7 were down 8.3 per cent, but prices rose by 8.8 per cent, according to data from Kantar for AHDB.

Lamb volumes were down 17.7 per cent, while the price was up 10 per cent.

Pork demand was 5.1 per cent lower, with the price up 8.3 per cent. The latest dairy figures only cover the year to 12 June, but they still show a reduction in volumes and an increase in price.

Steven Evans, senior consumer insight manager at AHDB, said: “The figures still reflect the disruption to the market caused by Covid, but there is also an impact on demand in response to higher prices.”

 

by Cedric Porter / Farmers Guardian

 

The UK’s many native sheep breeds have been put in the spotlight after US meat processors arrived in the country and took part in a mutton taste test.

The British Heritage Sheep scheme and the AHDB championed the unique flavour brought to the table by native sheep breeds at the NSA Sheep 2022 event.

There, a taste test was conducted by a group of US meat processors, who were in the UK.

It encompassed three breeds, the Herdwick, Portland and Shropshire, which were selected due to their different ancestry.

Britain has the largest number of native sheep breeds of any country in the world – over 60.

The British Heritage Sheep scheme aims to commercialise the UK’s historic breeds by making an asset out of diversity, and offering a choice to consumers.

The scheme is based on an ABC of three key pieces of information for the consumer – age, breed and countryside.

Following the taste test, NSA chief executive, Phil Stocker explained that sheep meat was one of the last undifferentiated foods in mainstream markets.

“Not all sheep meat tastes the same, particularly as sheep get older producing hogget and mutton, the main factors affecting the flavour are the age of the animal and its breed.

“To some extent what the animal eats will also affect its flavour – for example, a mountain sheep eats predominantly wild herbs and grasses, giving the meat a distinctive eating experience, highly prized in past generations.”

 

 

By Farming UK

Spanish slaughterhouses will have to install video surveillance to ensure animals are not mistreated before being killed, the government has announced, claiming a first in the EU.

“This rule puts Spain at the forefront of Europe in this area and, as well as ensuring the welfare of animals during their passage through abattoirs, it also improves food safety guarantees for consumers,” said Consumer Affairs Minister Alberto Garzón.

The measure was approved at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting and will now be pushed quickly through parliament for approval.

It has already been agreed with the industry, government spokesperson Isabel Rodríguez told a press conference.

“We will be the first country in the European Union to have a compulsory video surveillance system in abattoirs,” said the consumer affairs ministry of Pedro Sanchez’s left-wing government.

Guillermo Moreno, executive director of Equalia, an NGO that lobbied for the reform, told AFP he was satisfied with what he called “a necessary and important first step to raise animal welfare standards in abattoirs”.

He added that England, Scotland and Israel had already introduced the measure in their slaughterhouses.

Under the Spanish rules, abattoirs will be required to retain the video images for later verification by the authorities.

“Large abattoirs have one year to implement the new standard” with smaller operations granted two years, the ministry said.

 

 

EURACTIV.com 

Walmart is acquiring a minority stake in a rancher-owned, premium beef company to expand its sourcing of sustainable meat, the retail giant has announced.

Terms of Walmart’s deal with North Platte, Nebraska-based Sustainable Beef LLC were not disclosed. But Walmart said the transaction would give the retailer representation on the beef company’s board.

Walmart’s investment will help Sustainable Beef open a beef processing facility at its Nebraska headquarters. The facility is expected to break ground next month and open by late 2024 and will hire more than 800 workers, the company said in a statement.

“At Walmart, we are dedicated to providing high-quality, affordable beef to our customers, and an investment in Sustainable Beef LLC will give us even more access to these products,” Tyler Lehr, Walmart’s SVP of merchandising for deli services, meat and seafood, said in a statement. “We know Sustainable Beef LLC has a responsible approach to beef processing, one that includes creating long-term growth for cattle ranchers and family farmers. This investment provides greater visibility into the beef supply chain and complements Walmart’s regeneration commitment to improve grazing management.”

Sustainable Beef LLC began early in 2021 to focus on vertical integration of beef production, according to an agricultural industry report. The company grew out of supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic. The new processing plant has a goal of processing 1,500 head of beef per shift, per day, the report said.

The processing facility, located atop a city wastewater lagoon, will cost at least $325 million, the report noted.

“We set out on a journey two years ago to create a new beef processing plant to add some capacity to the industry and provide an opportunity for producers to integrate their business of raising quality cattle with the beef processing portion of the industry and do it in a sustainable manner,” David Briggs, CEO of Sustainable Beef, said in a statement. “During this journey we found that Sustainable Beef and Walmart aligned on continuing to improve how we care for our animals and crops and provide consumers the positive experience of enjoying quality beef.”

 

 

By Heather Lalley / Winsight Grocery Business