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16 Feb 2020

China increases US farm imports, dismissing concerns over meeting goals of phase one trade deal

China on Saturday moved again to pave the way to increase purchases of agricultural products from the US by lifting a ban on poultry products, as concerns over the implementation of the phase one trade agreement deepen due to the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in China. ...

16 Feb 2020

Arm farmers with facts to fight fake news

Farming can help the debate about livestock and the environment become less polarised by explaining how complex and different farming systems are, and what the industry is doing to address climate change. That was the underlying thinking behind an NFU seminar about livestock...

16 Feb 2020

Prime cattle prices continue upwards

In the week ending 8 February, the GB all prime average price rose by 1.4p to settle at 333.3p/kg. Steer prices for R4L beasts rose by 2.4p on the week, helping raise the overall steer price by 0.8p to 333.5p/kg. The overall heifer price rose by 1.6p on the week to average 335...

16 Feb 2020

Heavier carcase weights support UK beef production in January

In January 2020, UK slaughter of prime cattle totalled 170,200 head, only marginally less (-500 head) than the same month in the previous year, according to the latest data from Defra. A decrease in prime slaughter was recorded in England and Wales. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland...

16 Feb 2020

GB deadweight price leaps up early in the season on tight supply

The GB OSL liveweight SQQ lamb price continued its upward trajectory in the week ended 12 February, up 8.1p to 238.9p/kg. Throughput was also up again, rising 1% to 104,400 head possibly taking advantage of the current good prices. Cull ewe throughput dropped 4,800 head this w...

16 Feb 2020

Sheep meat production steady in January

UK sheep meat production for January stood at 24,200 tonnes, unchanged from the previous year according to data released by Defra. 1.04 million clean sheep were killed in January, 1% higher than the previous year but adult sheep throughput was down 10% to 127,500 head. Carcase...

16 Feb 2020

Young hill farmer fronts Welsh beef and lamb campaign

Young farmer Caryl Hughes is the face of a new £250,000 campaign promoting Welsh beef and lamb. North Wales hill farmer Ms Hughes is fronting the Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales) campaign in response to recent criticism of the impact of agriculture on climate change. Adv...

16 Feb 2020

China lifts import ban on US poultry, related products

China announced Friday that it would lift restrictions on the import of poultry and related products from the United States, according to a statement jointly released by the General Administration of Customs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Based on risk asse...

16 Feb 2020

League of Gentlemen butchers closes after 100 years

It has been a local shop for generations of local people, but a butchers based in the town used by a legendary TV comedy is closing. J W Mettrick & Son has been a fixture in Hadfield – the town that doubled up as Royston Vasey in The League of Gentlemen – for m...

16 Feb 2020

Welsh butchers prepare for World championships in California

A team of talented Welsh butchers is stepping up training in preparation for the World Butchers’ Challenge in the United States later this year. Craft Butchery Team Wales will make their debut at the biennial competition, which will be contested by 16 countries from around t...

16 Feb 2020

China releases 14,000 tonnes of pork from state reserves

China on Friday released 14,000 tonnes of pork from its central reserves in a bid to ensure market supply amid efforts to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to the Ministry of Commerce. This was the sixth time that the country tapped into its pork reserves this ye...

16 Feb 2020

EU lifting ban on import of chicken meat from Ukraine

The European Union lifted the ban on the import of poultry meat from Ukraine, supporting the decision on zoning the case of bird flu. The Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Taras Kachka wrote about this on his page on Facebook. “We look forward t...

16 Feb 2020

Meat inspection petition with 216,000 signatures given to FSA

A union in the United Kingdom has submitted a petition on meat inspections, signed by more than 216,000 people, to the Food Standards Agency. Steve Nash, a consumer advisor on E. coli O157, Unison national officer Paul Bell, and Sean Humber, a lawyer at Leigh Day, delivered th...

16 Feb 2020

Darlington’s new auction mart celebrates opening with Beef Expo

TWO cattle competitions will take place at this year’s Beef Expo 2020 held near Darlington. For the first time the Burke Beef Trophy will be awarded to the best commercial pair. The award is widely seen as the pinnacle of UK cattle breeding and will be awarded to commerc...

15 Feb 2020

Coronavirus reroutes U.S. chicken shipments bound for China

CHICAGO, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Ships carrying refrigerated cargo containers of chicken from the United States to China are being diverted to ports in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a U.S. poultry export trade group. ...

15 Feb 2020

Global lamb shortage helps UK prices rise £14 a head in 2020

Rocketing prime lamb prices suggest that the amount retailers are able to import is sharply down on last year, amid a global shortage of the meat. Some processors began offering deadweight prices in excess of 500p/kg this week, while the AHDB said the UK average SQQ liveweight...

13 Feb 2020

Kepak site to close amidst ‘challenging market conditions’

Kepak has issued a statement outlining it “regrets to announce that it will temporarily suspend operations” at its Co. Clare beef processing site. The statement from the meat processor explained: “Against a backdrop of challenging market conditions for the beef industry ...

13 Feb 2020

“German pork exports remain possible in case of ASF”

Germany has engaged in talks with China, to make sure exports of pork and pigmeat will remain possible in case African Swine Fever would be found in wild boar in Germany. At the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, there have been talks with a Chinese delegation i...

13 Feb 2020

Edinburgh University students vote against beef ban on campus

Thousands of students at Edinburgh University have voted to reject proposals to ban beef in all student run catering outlets. The result comes after a motion to cease the sale of all beef products in Students’ Association cafes and restaurants was debated on January 30. The ...

13 Feb 2020

Farming Minister George Eustice promoted to top job at Defra after Villiers sacked

Long-serving Farming Minister George Eustice has been promoted to Defra Secretary after his former boss, Theresa Villiers, was given the sack. Mr Eustice’s appointment will provide some continuity for the department as it seeks to implement the radical changes proposed in th...

13 Feb 2020

Mad cow fright keeps EU cautious on food rules

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The specter of the 1990s BSE crisis means the European Union is likely to reject U.S. demands it ease strict food safety rules, even with President Donald Trump threatening car tariffs if EU countries do not start importing more U.S. farm products. W...

13 Feb 2020

EU pig prices slump as coronavirus slows China import demand

EU pig prices are continuing to fall and as import demand from China cools, due in part to the coronavirus crisis gripping the country. In the four weeks ending February 2, EU pig prices fell by over €10 (approx £8.40) to average €182.54/100kg (approx 153p/kg). AHDB analy...

13 Feb 2020

Pair guilty over illegal slaughterhouse and ‘smokies’

PEMBROKE Dock horror farm smallholder, Sean Ronald Burns, of Bramble Hall Farm, and an associate have been found guilty of charges relating to operating an illegal slaughterhouse on the edge of the town. A jury at Swansea Crown Court returned guilty verdicts on Burns and John...

12 Feb 2020

How would an ASF outbreak in Germany affect the EU pork market?

If African swine fever (ASF) crosses the border from Poland to reach German wild boar, the German export market of approximately 500,000 tonnes of pork would be at risk. EU prices could drop by 20-40%, although, according to a new AHDB report, the consequences of an outbreak f...

11 Feb 2020

Factory unreliability and coronavirus impact as SPP creeps up

Factory unreliability and uncertainty over the coronavirus outbreak are both affecting the pork market, according to Thames Valley Cambac’s latest pig marketing summary. A ‘not unsubstantial’ number of pigs had to be rolled into this trading week, as factory unreliabi...

11 Feb 2020

Anger over plans to demolish independent Oldham abattoir for housing

Plans to demolish a leading independent abattoir in the north of England have been met with resistance in the farming community. Owners of the site of Cowlishaw Abattoir in Royton, Oldham, which also includes several acres of agricultural land, have offered the plot to local p...

11 Feb 2020

AHDB clashes with BBC over ‘eat less meat’ claim

The AHDB has sent a letter to the BBC criticising its claim that the ‘the single biggest way’ to fight climate change is to eat less meat. AHDB’s chief executive Jane King sent the letter regarding the BBC News article ‘Climate change: Where we are in s...

11 Feb 2020

Tulip’s Bodmin site to remain open, as more than 100 jobs go

Tulip has confirmed that its site in Bodmin will remain open, although a total of 124 jobs have been lost as part of the recovery plan. In October, Tulip began a consultation on closing its ‘unsustainable’ Bodmin site, which it said would put the 270 jobs there at risk. ...

11 Feb 2020

Cranswick continues expansion with acquisition of Buckle pig business

Cranswick has continued its recent expansion, with the acquisition of the Buckle family’s pig farming and rearing operations, in Yorkshire. The deal includes the family’s 50% share of the White Rose Farms Limited pig production joint venture set up by Cranswick and the Buc...

11 Feb 2020

China’s coronavirus clampdown pushes pork prices toward record

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s pork prices are hovering near last year’s record after measures to battle a coronavirus epidemic hit transport of pigs and delayed the restart of slaughtering plants, crimping already tight supplies of the meat. The virus epidemic, which h...

11 Feb 2020

China coronavirus putting more pressure on pork supplies and prices

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s coronavirus outbreak has delayed the launch of new pig breeding facilities and put even more pressure on pork supplies and prices, an official with the agriculture ministry told a briefing on Sunday. Kong Liang, deputy director at t...

10 Feb 2020

Appeal after sheep theft from Dorset field

Police are appealing for information after a flock of sheep was stolen from a field near Powerstock, Bridport. A total of 28 ewes were taken, according to officers from Dorset Police Rural Crime Team, who said the theft occurred some time between 7.30am on Thursday February 6...

10 Feb 2020

Swine fever spreading in Philippines

MANILA • The Philippines confirmed yesterday that African swine fever infections had spread in the south of the country, which accounts for nearly a third of the nation’s 12.8 million pig herd. Additional cases have also been identified in some northern provinces, said...

10 Feb 2020

Aldi commits to stocking new range of PGI Welsh Beef

Discount retailer Aldi has says it will stock a new range of PGI Welsh Beef products across more than 50 of its stores. Thirteen products, including roasting joints, diced beef, and fillet, ribeye and sirloin steaks, will be available across Wales from 12 February. The Farme...

08 Feb 2020

How coronavirus, ASF and the Chinese New Year are affecting the pig market in China

China’s coronavirus outbreak has had a limited impact on pork trade so far, but could create challenges in the market in future, according to AHDB analyst Bethan Wilkins. The outbreak has coincided with the Chinese New Year holiday period, which is already a quiet period for...

08 Feb 2020

Coronavirus hits Australian meat exporter

Australia’s largest meat-processing cooperative has been caught up in the coronavirus outbreak in China. The Northern Cooperative Meat Company (NCMC) in Casino in northern New South Wales has product stuck on the docks in China waiting for Chinese government and business...

08 Feb 2020

Meat and two veg revealed to be most popular meal among adults in Ireland

VEGANISM MIGHT be in vogue but, when it comes to cooking the evening meal, old habits die hard in Ireland. Figures produced by Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, revealed the classic “meat and two veg” was the number one evening meal type eaten by adults in 2019, accounting ...

08 Feb 2020

UK beef farmers call for stronger labelling on packaging

Beef farmers have called for stronger measures to enforce better labelling and branding of products as the UK looks to strike Brexit trade deals. Any beef imports that enter the country as a result of Brexit trade deals must match the production standards of the UK’s, th...

07 Feb 2020

Tyson Foods sells U.S. pork to China, but misses quarterly sales expectations

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Tyson Foods Inc is shipping meat to China and has additional orders on the books as a fatal pig disease has created a pork shortage there, the company said on Thursday as it reported lower-than-expected quarterly sales. Shares fell 3% and hit their lo...

07 Feb 2020

Colombia aims to double meat exports after clearance on foot and mouth disease

BOGOTA, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Colombia will look to double its meat exports now it has regained its status as a country free of foot and mouth disease, President Ivan Duque said. Foot and mouth is a highly contagious viral disease found in animals and is one of the most seri...

07 Feb 2020

Greece reports first case of African swine fever

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece detected its first case of African swine fever at a breeding farm in the north of the country this week, agriculture ministry officials said on Thursday. African swine fever is harmless to humans but it is highly contagious and deadly in pigs. I...

07 Feb 2020

Coronavirus disrupts China meat imports, food supply during pork shortage

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Coronavirus is disrupting meat shipments to China as the country faces a shortage due to an outbreak of a fatal pig disease, Tyson Foods Inc and U.S. agricultural groups said on Thursday. An outbreak of African swine fever, which infects only pigs, ha...

06 Feb 2020

Mexico sees bigger Chinese demand for its beef on coronavirus concerns

MEXICO CITY, Feb 6 (Reuters) – China’s appetite for Mexican steaks and other cuts of beef is expected to increase more than 40% this year, in part due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak, according to Mexico’s top cattle association. Chinese buy...

05 Feb 2020

Uproar as students vote to implement beef ban on campus

The University of Edinburgh Students Association is the latest body to join the anti-meat campaign following a bad-tempered meeting where agricultural students were denied a voice before being shown the door. The student body was discussing a motion ‘To cease the sale of all...

05 Feb 2020

Indonesian investigates deaths of hundreds of pigs in Bali

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian authorities are investigating the deaths of about 880 pigs on the island of Bali, the director of animal health at the Ministry of Agriculture said on Wednesday, to determine if they died of African swine fever (ASF). The pigs died between ...

05 Feb 2020

Chinese poultry farmers in coronavirus stricken province destroying birds

BEIJING, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Some poultry farmers in the province at the heart of China’s coronavirus outbreak are having to euthanise young birds as new rules to contain the disease have paralysed the transport of feed supply and live animals to slaughterhouses. The ban...

05 Feb 2020

Australian red meat industry shapes up to open doors in UK and EU post Brexit

The Australian red meat industry, under the leadership of the EU/UK Red Meat Market Access Taskforce, is maintaining high ambition for trade reform in both the European Union and the United Kingdom. As with other free trade agreements the Australian Government has negotiated t...

05 Feb 2020

Cancer charity in row with farmers after it launches ‘meat-free March’

Macmillan was forced to stop promoting the month-long fundraiser after widespread anger from the agricultural industry Farmers are in a row with a cancer charity after it asked its supporters to take part in “meat-free March”. Macmillan was forced to stop promoting...

05 Feb 2020

Cutting through the noise of the ‘eat less meat’ agenda

Liam Byrne is AHDB’s head of meat marketing Our third instalment of the £2.5 million ‘changing perceptions of pork’ consumer campaign is working hard to cut through the media noise of ‘eat less meat’ campaigns. The latest Love Pork TV advert is expected to be viewed...

05 Feb 2020

Members of EU Parliament to Discuss ‘Meat Tax’ to Tackle Climate Change

Members of the European Parliament will today be asked to consider a plan to increase the price of meat across the EU to reflect its CO2 costs. The plan is being put forward by the True Animal Protein Price Coalition, (TAPP), a Netherlands based coalition of health organisatio...

05 Feb 2020

China’s ‘perfect storm’ a boon to Brazil’s meat producers: ABPA

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s meat industry association ABPA said a “perfect storm” of health and food security concerns in China promises to drive up demand for South American meat, giving Brazilian meatpacker shares a boost on Monday. China reported a new outbre...

03 Feb 2020

New Zealand – Coronavirus threatens meat processing as cool stores fill with export product

China takes almost half New Zealand’s meat exports and that amounted to 402,586 tonnes of sheep meat and beef last year. Farmers are worried about the impact of the coronavirus after Silver Fern Farms talked of reducing meat processing because of cold storage shortages....

03 Feb 2020

EU considers ‘sustainability charge’ on meat prices to fight climate change

THE European Union could introduce a new tax on meat products to cut back on greenhouse emissions and climate change a week after Britain’s historic exit from the economic bloc. The European Parliament will discuss a proposal this week to introduce a levy that could see ...

02 Feb 2020

Philippines detects first African swine fever outbreak in southern province

MANILA (Reuters) – Blood samples taken from pigs in a southern province in the Philippines, the world’s 10th-largest pork consumer, tested positive for the African swine fever virus, the Department of Agriculture said on Sunday. It was the first reported case of Africa...

02 Feb 2020

Argentina Seeks to Expand Beef-Price Caps as Consumption Sinks

Argentina’s Production Ministry is looking to add more cuts of beef to a price-control system in a bid to make red meat more affordable amid rampant inflation, according to a ministerial official. Government and industry representatives are in talks over possible additions t...

02 Feb 2020

Meat-free fundraising slated by farmers

MANY farmers have been outraged this week by two major cancer charities asking for people to go meat-free for a month with a view to raising money for them. A social media storm has seen many from the industry – which has been a huge supporter of the charities, Macmillan and...

31 Jan 2020

Co-op pledges 60% cut in nitrite levels in bacon

The Co-op is to reduce the amount of nitrites used in its own-label British bacon range by 60%, in what it described as a first for major UK retailers. Nitrites, a type of preservative used to cure bacon, will be reduced by this level across 24 fresh, British Co-op lines – a...

31 Jan 2020

GB pig prices for week ending January 25, 2020 – SPP up for the first time in 2020

AHDB Pork’s weekly pig prices, slaughter data and commentary for Great Britain In the week ended January 25, the EU-spec SPP moved upwards (+0.23p). This increase pushes it about 24p higher than both the previous year and the 5-year average. The increase in price was particu...

31 Jan 2020

Burger King says it never promised Impossible Whoppers were vegan

(Reuters) – Burger King, saying it never billed its “Impossible Whoppers” as vegan or promised to cook them a particular way, said a proposed class action by a vegan customer over the plant-based patties being cooked on the same grills as meat burgers should be throw...

31 Jan 2020

Could mobile slaughterhouses fill small abattoir gaps?

Mobile abattoirs may help farms hit by the rapid loss of small abattoirs over the last few years. There are now fewer than 100 small abattoirs, those slaughtering fewer than 1,000 animals a year, according to the Sustainable Food Trust, with four closing in 2019 and another si...

31 Jan 2020

‘Next big thing for meat’: Aldi launches British Wagyu products

Aldi has started selling British-produced Wagyu beef burgers in what has been described as the ‘next big thing in the meat industry’. The product, hitting the retailer’s shelves from today (30 January), are produced from the Japanese Wagyu cattle breed, but b...

31 Jan 2020

NPA submits complaint to Ofcom over ‘How to Steal Pigs’

The National Pig Association has submitted a formal complaint to Ofcom regarding the Channel 4 programme ‘How to Steal Pigs and Influence People’. The group said that because of the programme, Channel 4 could be considered complicit in the theft of pigs. The NPA f...

31 Jan 2020

UK pork exports doubled in 2019 as African Swine Fever boosts demand

African Swine Fever in China is having a knock-on effect on the pork and other red meat sectors right across the world, including in Wales, according to market analysis by Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC). The impact of the pig virus has seen 50% of China’s pork...

31 Jan 2020

Spread of African swine fever confirmed in nine EU countries

The area of the European Union affected by the African swine fever (ASF) is “progressively expanding”, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said in its latest update on the disease, published on Thursday (30 January). The report, which focuses on the period from Novem...

30 Jan 2020

UK and Australia partner this week in simulated ASF exercise

The UK and the New South Wales government in Australia is this week collaborate on a joint, simulated exercise to practice biosecurity measures in the event of an African swine fever outbreak. The joint exercise involving Defra, the Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA) and th...

30 Jan 2020

NFU Mutual reports that livestock theft has risen by nearly 20 per cent

New figures released by rural insurer NFU Mutual reveal that farm animals worth £3m were stolen from UK farms in 2019. Large-scale sheep thefts over the past two years have contributed to a 19.4 per cent rise in value since 2017, making rustling the most costly crime for the ...

30 Jan 2020

China’s coronavirus could boost Brazil meat exports, CEOs say

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s largest meatpackers JBS SA and BRF SA said on Wednesday that the coronavirus outbreak could help boost Chinese demand for their products, as it fans concerns about domestic food safety in China. However, one executive told Reuters that sa...

30 Jan 2020

Plukon Food Group acquires Spanish poultry company VMR

European poultry firm Plukon Food Group has acquired a 100% stake in Spanish agricultural wholesaler Grupo de Gestión Empresarial Avícola VMR. VMR supplies chicken products to local retail, wholesale and food services markets under the Gallus Gallus brand. With nearly 550 em...

30 Jan 2020

Global Factors Shape Meat Market Outlook

30 Jan 2020

£500,000 Boost for Welsh Agricultural Infrastructure

Half a million pounds of new funding has been announced to support digital infrastructure investments by eligible livestock auction markets, collection centres and abattoirs in Wales. The funding, which will be made available to small and medium-sized businesses and administer...

29 Jan 2020

Politicians must tackle BBC’s pro-vegan bias, says NFU deputy president

NFU deputy president Guy Smith has said politicians who control the BBC’s licence fee must tackle pro-vegan bias at the broadcaster. The union leader warned vegans had been allowed to ‘hijack’ the climate change debate and distort the BBC’s reporting. Speaking at t...

29 Jan 2020

Major processor holds up progress on sheep splitting rule changes

A major processor has ‘broken ranks’ on the need to use a fixed cut-off date to age lambs, stalling progress on the rule change Defra was planning to introduce. Previously, all processors had supported farmers in wanting to end the process of ‘mouthing’, which is estim...

29 Jan 2020

France announces ban on piglet castration

France has announced a ban on piglet castration without anaesthesia, which is due to take effect at the end of 2021. Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume has also announced a ban on the practice of live-shredding day-old male chicks. “From the end of 2021, nothing will be l...

29 Jan 2020

Beyond Meat is off the menu at Canada’s largest coffee chain

The big picture: The move could be a bad omen for the artificial meat industry, perhaps signaling that consumers aren’t as willing to let go of their animal-based diets as originally anticipated. If that’s the case, it would indicate that we are looking at more of a fad o...

28 Jan 2020

U.S. wants end to EU ban on ‘chlorinated chicken’ and hormone-treated beef

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union needs to redress a $10-12 billion (£9.1 billion) imbalance in farm produce trade with the United States and adapt its food safety rules to reflect “sound science”, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture said on Monday. Sonny Perdue...

28 Jan 2020

Brazil’s JBS to supply China with up to in $717 million deal with WH Group

BRASILIA, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Brazil meatpacker JBS SA said on Monday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Hong Kong’s WH Group to supply up to $717.26 million of fresh beef, poultry and pork per year to the Chinese market. The first shipments under the...

28 Jan 2020

Brexit’s lamb sell-off now underpinning prices for Welsh sheep farmers

A good year for grass, combined with a rush to beat the October Brexit deadline, resulted in a big rise in UK lamb output in 2019. Production levels of UK beef also increased, mainly due to a large rise in carcase weights. Latest data from Defra revealed a 6.4% increase UK s...

28 Jan 2020

Rustling gangs are stealing sheepdogs to help them with night-time animal raids, NFU warns

Rustling gangs are stealing sheep dogs to help them take up to 100 animals a night during lucrative raids, the National Farmers Union (NFU) has warned. Livestock worth £3million were stolen from UK farms last year, with large-scale sheep thefts fuelling the surge, according ...

28 Jan 2020

Vet visits compulsory in updated QMS assurance scheme rules

Scottish beef and lamb farmers in the Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) assurance scheme will now be required to have an annual visit from their vet after the levy board revealed an update to the rules. It has also become compulsory that the annual review of the animal health plan (...

28 Jan 2020

Abattoir output increasing despite increase in plant-based diets

British abattoirs are killing more animals for meat every year to supply the overseas market, despite the increasing popularity of plant-based lifestyles in the UK. Almost 28.8 million farm animals were killed for meat in 2019, marking an increase of 5.4 per cent in two years,...

27 Jan 2020

Global Ag View: Livestock bears brunt of Australian bush fires

Australia’s bush fires have had a devastating impact on the country’s agricultural output. No official figures on livestock losses have been released, but Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) have estimated nine per cent of the national cattle herd were in regions which hav...

27 Jan 2020

China to buy £39bn worth of agricultural products in US deal

The US and China have signed Phase One of an international trade-agreement worth $200 billion overall, with China now expected to purchase up to $50billion (£39 billion) worth of agricultural products on an annual-basis. After a two-year bitter trade-war wrangle between the t...

27 Jan 2020

Black market meat warning as thieves steal livestock worth £3m

Thieves have stolen livestock worth £3 million in the last year, with some animals butchered in farmers’ fields and the meat then sold on the black market. Large-scale sheep thefts, where rustlers steal between 50 and 100 animals in a single raid, have contributed to the sp...

27 Jan 2020

ABP Advanced Proteins buys John Pointon and Sons

A Staffordshire Moorlands business that employs hundreds of people has been sold – it was announced on Friday (January 24). John Pointon and Sons, an animal by-products and proteins business, has been purchased by Advanced Proteins – a by-product division of ABP &#...

27 Jan 2020

Haggis is growing in popularity, and not just in Scotland

LONDON (Reuters) – Carried high by the cook on a silver platter behind a kilted piper at formal dinners, the haggis is the essential dish for anyone celebrating the birthday of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, on Saturday. Now the spicy meat is more popul...

27 Jan 2020

Major pig plants continued to cut kills

This week’s Slaughter Pig Marketing Summary, from Thames Valley Cambac, reported that the marketing week was very similar from a supply and demand point of view. Some of the majors continued to cut kills, but others were back to normal. Supply was steady, and average weights...

27 Jan 2020

U.S. pork producers well-equipped to supply China’s needs

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Reuters) – China’s pork imports should surge to an all-time high in 2020 after African swine fever decimated its hog herd, and the United States is ready to take on the task as it also eyes a new export record. The United States closed out last yea...

27 Jan 2020

Livestock worth £3m stolen from UK farms in 2019

Large-scale sheep thefts over the past two years have contributed to a 19.4% rise in value since 2017, according to rural insurer NFU Mutual. This makes rustling the most costly crime for the UK’s farming sector after agricultural vehicle and machinery theft. As well as caus...

27 Jan 2020

Pork Quarterly Q1 2020: Opportunities Are Emerging from Risks

Rising disease pressures continue to challenge the global market and will remain the major change driver in global animal protein in 2020, according to Rabobank’s latest Pork Quarterly titled ‘Opportunities Are Emerging from Risks.’ “Although the severity of African sw...

27 Jan 2020

US beef position strengthens as China trade deal is unpacked

United States beef is emerging from recent trade negotiations with China in a far more lucrative position to supply the world’s number one beef importer as details from this month’s phase-one deal gradually unfold. However, there is still much that needs to fall in...

24 Jan 2020

GB pork sales suffering

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...

24 Jan 2020

GB pig prices for week ending January 18, 2020 – limited movement again in the SPP

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 declin...

24 Jan 2020

Booming market for EU pork exports

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 volume...

24 Jan 2020

Climate crisis: Farmers warn of danger of blaming UK livestock

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 ...

23 Jan 2020

China lifts 30-month age restriction on US beef imports

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’ b...

23 Jan 2020

EU suspends imports of Ukrainian poultry meat

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 ou...

23 Jan 2020

Stillman’s (Somerset) Ltd denies five charges of breaching safety and hygiene laws

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 Tau...

23 Jan 2020

Italy seizes 9.5 tonnes of Chinese pork to prevent African swine fever contagion

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 ...

23 Jan 2020

Germany and Poland discuss new action to prevent swine fever

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 mi...

23 Jan 2020

Supermarket deal sees Simon Howie haggis sold across UK

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�...

23 Jan 2020

Lab-grown meat producer Memphis Meats raises $161 million in funding led by SoftBank

(Reuters) – Lab-grown meat producer Memphis Meats said on Wednesday it raised $161 million in a funding round led by Japan’s SoftBank Group, Singapore’s wealth fund Temasek Holdings and Norwest Venture Partners. The company said the latest round took total funding t...

23 Jan 2020

The Hong Kong businessman behind Omnipork, is trying to convince a billion people to embrace a meat replacement.

For a guy in the food industry, David Yeung talks a lot about how gross food can be. Specifically, pork, the most popular meat in China. Industrial hogs are bred in harsh conditions—packed together in pens, sometimes eating contaminated garbage—and the 41-year-old Hong Kon...

23 Jan 2020

Boost in UK beef exports while imports drop

UK beef exports increased by nearly a quarter for the year ending November 2019 while imports plummeted, the latest figures show. The latest figures published by HMRC showed that in November, UK beef trade continued to follow the trends recorded for most of the year. UK beef e...

23 Jan 2020

Chinese beef importers seek to renegotiate prices for Brazilian shipments

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Chinese beef importers are seeking to renegotiate prices previously agreed when they closed deals to buy dozens of shipments from Brazil because values are too high, according to a report in the online edition of a local newspaper on Monday. The web...

22 Jan 2020

Ugandan beef ‘will have honoured place’ in UK, PM says

Beef produced in Uganda will have an ‘honoured place’ on the UK’s supermarket shelves post-Brexit, Boris Johnson has said. The prime minister attempted to woo African leaders at the UK-Africa investment summit in London on Monday (20 January). He underlined t...

22 Jan 2020

Italy seizes 9.5 tonnes of Chinese pork to prevent African swine fever contagion

20 Jan 2020

China deal gives US beef an edge over NZ producers

A range of import restrictions affecting New Zealand beef exporters to China will be swept away for their American competitors as part of the new “phase one” US-China trade deal signed in Washington DC on Wednesday. However, US producers will continue to face tarif...

23 Dec 2019

China lifts ban on some Japanese beef imports amid meat shortages

China has lifted a ban on deboned beef from Japanese cows under 30 months old, the General Administration of Customs said in a notice, ending an almost two-decade long restriction on beef imports from the country. The decision comes as China faces severe meat shortages after a...

23 Dec 2019

The potential roads to recovery from African swine fever in China

African swine fever (ASF) is endemic in China. Nonetheless, many forecasts expect Chinese pork production to be on the way to recovery by the middle of the coming decade. As part of the EU medium-term outlook, the European Commission has produced two scenarios for China’s AS...

21 Dec 2019

Container with 50 beef carcasses stolen in Armagh

A refrigerated container with 50 beef carcasses has been stolen in County Armagh. The 40ft container was taken from premises in the Red Lion Road area of Loughgall at 01:00 GMT on Friday. The unit was recovered by Gardaí in Dundalk, County Louth. PSNI Insp Leslie Badger said ...

21 Dec 2019

China calls for revival in pork production after disease outbreak

Chinese authorities have called for a revival of pork production, state media outlet Xinhua reported on Saturday, after a disease outbreak that decimated the national pig herd. At an agricultural conference in Beijing, attended by President Xi Jinping, officials said it was ne...

06 Dec 2019

Farmers mount 12-hour Aldi blockade and warn of more beef price protests

Farmers who mounted a blockade of a major distribution centre for Aldi supermarkets in a protest at falling beef prices say it is the first of many such protests. The farmers who are members of the Irish Farmers’ Association drove a tractor and trailer across the entrance ...

06 Dec 2019

China must recover pig production, stabilize pork supply: vice premier

Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua said the country must resolutely work to achieve the target of recovering pig production numbers, and stabilize pork supply for the upcoming holidays, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. China must ensure stable pork supply in key periods ...

28 Nov 2019

Meat is crucial for feeding the planet, and going vegan is not more green, say scientists

Meat is crucial for feeding the planet, leading scientists have said, as they warned it is not more environmentally-friendly to go vegan. Experts from the University of Edinburgh and Scotland’s Rural College said farmers were increasingly feeling demonised by the unsupported...

28 Nov 2019

Mutton making a comeback because it’s lost its ‘cheap’ image, say sheep farmers and butchers

Mutton is making a comeback because it has lost its “cheap and tough” image, farmers and butchers have said. Now, environmentally-conscious people are choosing to buy the older sheep meat, as butchers say lamb, mutton and hogget should be treated with as much reverence as ...

28 Nov 2019

Farmers and meat leaders slam TV film

Farm and red meat industry leaders have hit out at the national broadcaster’s programme – Meat: A Threat to our Planet? – which explored the impact of red meat production on the environment. Martin Morgan, executive manager of the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers...

28 Nov 2019

Ukrainian export loophole closed

The European Parliament is proposing measures to put an end to the wave of cheap Ukrainian chicken meat flooding the European market through a loophole. The country avoided tariffs by exporting a special bone-in cut of poultry meat. As a tradeoff, Ukraine is permitted to expor...

27 Nov 2019

UK farming unions respond to BBC meat documentary

The four UK farming union presidents have said that last night’s BBC documentary, Meat: a threat to our planet?, shows why food standards must be upheld in future trade deals. They said: “At no point did the documentary explain the vast differences between American meat ...

27 Nov 2019

Farmers start beef with BBC as meat documentary’s claims come under fire

It was meant to be a documentary exploring the impact our carnivorous ways was having on the planet. But the BBC’s ‘Meat: A Threat To Our Planet’ has become embroiled in a row with British farmers, who fear the show could damage their reputation. The show, headed up by ...

27 Nov 2019

Going whole hog: U.S. tells exporters to report pig carcass sales as China buying soars

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday that commodity exporters must disclose sales of hog carcasses, giving officials and traders more insight into a surge of Chinese pork buying that has roiled global meat markets. China’s pork imports have nearly doubled this y...

27 Nov 2019

Brazil Is the Big Beef Winner From China’s Hunt for Protein

China’s effort to fill a protein gap created by the spread of African swine fever is rippling through Brazil’s massive beef industry, pushing up prices and profits for both cattle ranchers and meatpackers. China’s effort to fill a protein gap created by the spread of Afr...

27 Nov 2019

‘Not enough pork in the world’ to deal with China’s demand for meat

The cost of living in China has outstripped the 3% government target for the first time in a decade, and a big part of the problem is the soaring price of pork, which is being driven up by a widespread outbreak of African swine fever (ASF). Pork is a big deal in China. The ave...

27 Nov 2019

Waitrose to sell only UK lamb, as they say it is important to ‘invest in British agriculture’

Waitrose is set to only sell British lamb as it phases out meat from New Zealand in order to “support UK agriculture.” The retailer used to supplement its lamb range with New Zealand products in the winter months, but is to stop doing so by 2021. Most of the superm...

27 Nov 2019

Lamb prices boosted by solid UK and international demand

Lamb prices have been boosted by solid UK and international demand, while beef prices are still significantly down on recent years, new figures show The average deadweight steer price in England and Wales now stands at 319.5p per kg, according to Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promot...

27 Nov 2019

China buying all Brazilian beef available; meat prices in Sao Paulo at record high

Chinese demand is increasingly swallowing up Brazil’s beef supply, pushing the country’s cattle prices to a record high. China’s hunger for foreign meat has shot up as an outbreak of African swine fever has reduced its domestic pig population and has sent it look...

27 Nov 2019

Brazil Is the Big Beef Winner From China’s Hunt for Protein

China’s effort to fill a protein gap created by the spread of African swine fever is rippling through Brazil’s massive beef industry, pushing up prices and profits for both cattle ranchers and meatpackers. While China has been increasing local poultry production and raisin...

25 Nov 2019

Going whole hog: U.S. tells exporters to report pig carcass sales as China buying soars

20 Nov 2019

China’s pork prices slump on higher supply, falling consumption

China’s pork prices fell sharply last week for the first time in 10 months, as reports of fresh disease outbreaks in the northeast led to more hogs being sent for slaughter just as consumers cut back on pricey meat, analysts said. Chinese pork prices hit record levels after ...

20 Nov 2019

Pork prices begin to fall

Pork prices in China have started to decline, and pork production will gradually be restored as supporting policies take effect, the agriculture minister said. The number of breeding sows began to rise last month, and the number of other pigs decreased at a much slower pace, s...

10 Nov 2019

BRF mulls acquisitions in Turkey to grow in-country production

BRF SA (BRFS3.SA), the world’s largest chicken exporter, said on Tuesday it would consider acquisitions in Turkey as part of a strategy to increase production there and remain a leading food supplier in the halal world. Patricio Rohner, vice president of international operat...

20 Aug 2019

China takes measures to stabilize pork prices

China has taken various measures to ensure pork supply and stabilize pork prices, an official said yesterday. Governments at all levels have put great emphasis on restoring hog production and have stepped up efforts to increase pork supply, said Liu Aihua, spokesperson for the...