Irish beef farmers are a step closer to achieving protected geographical indication (PGI) status in the EU for certified Irish Angus Beef.

If successful, this could allow beef producers in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to receive a premium for Aberdeen Angus cattle.

However, concerns have been raised by some in the UK beef sector that it could be potentially detrimental to the wider industry if specific breeds from set regions are given PGI status.

A two-month opposition window has now begun as part of the PGI application process before it can be formally submitted to the EU Commission.

Ireland’s agriculture minister, Charlie McConalogue, said: “I thank the certified Irish Angus producer group for its work in bringing forward this application for PGI status for their product.

“I am delighted that the application has progressed to this stage, and I am aware of the significant amount of work that has been undertaken to date.”

If the application is successful, beef farmers in Ireland would then need to register with the Irish Angus Cattle Society in order for their cattle to be certified.

 

 

Charlie Reeve | Farmers Weekly

Pork production in the EU was 8% down, at 11.9Mt, over the first seven months of this year, the second successive year of significant decline. 

The production figure for January to July was also 10% down on the five-year average. The EU Commission’s latest forecast is for pig meat production in 2023 to end the year down 6.6%.

Production in all key producing countries has fallen year on year, with the largest declines in Germany of 236,000t (-9%), and Denmark down 202,000t (-21%). Volumes in Spain and the Netherlands were down between 143−144,000t from the same time last year, down 5% and 15% respectively.

These drops were driven by large reductions in slaughter levels. EU throughputs totalled 126.1m head in the year to July, with slaughter in key producing countries down similar percentages to production.

Lower supplies in the EU have led to significant growth in prices across the EU over the past few months over the spring and summer . However, prices have declined from these highs down to an average of 196.4p/kg for the 4 weeks ending October 1, as demand has eased.

This is a fall of 5.8p from the previous four-week period, and down nearly 20p from highs seen towards the end of July, with weak demand at home and internationally seen as the main driver.

 

Alistair Driver | Pig World

A Small Abattoir fund will open by the end of this year, providing £4m of funding in England to help improve productivity, enhance animal health and welfare and encourage investment in new technologies in vital local plants.

Small abattoirs have come under increased pressure in recent, highlighted by a 20% reduction in the number of low-capacity abattoirs in the last decade, often making it harder for livestock farmers to find viable outlets.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer announced Defra would introduce a scheme to support these businesses, and more details were announced during last week’s Back British Farming Day as part of a wider announcement.

The £4m fund will will be open to red meat and poultry businesses with an annual throughput of up to 10,000 livestock units including beef, pork and lamb, and/or 500,000 birds per year.

Defra said the funding would make it easier for them to operate and support farmers in reaching local and international markets.

Announcing the scheme in February, Mr Spencer said abattoirs are key to the food supply chain and there is clearly a need to support smaller providers in this area. “A network of smaller abattoirs distributed around the country is crucial to supporting the rural economy, enabling farmers to sell their own meat in farm shops and maintaining good animal health and welfare through reduced journey times to slaughter,” he said.

 

Alistair Driver | Pig World

The UK has lifted reinforced inspections on meat products from Brazil after analyzing the country’s control system.

The decision covers consignments of beef, poultry, and meat products and preparations exported from Brazil to England, Scotland, and Wales. It comes after an audit of Brazil’s sanitary and phytosanitary controls.

Following allegations of fraud in Brazil in 2017 during Operation Carne Fraca, measures were implemented for enhanced checks on certain imported animal products.

For beef and poultry meat products from Brazil, exports to Great Britain no longer need enhanced pre- and post-import testing for Salmonella or the added attestation attached to health certificates confirming Salmonella sampling, methods of analysis used, and results.

Post-import physical checks for poultry and beef products will be reduced from 100 percent physical and 20 percent microbiological sampling. Brazil can now re-list certain poultry and beef sites for export to Great Britain.

Auditors visited central and regional authorities, two certification centers, eight slaughterhouses, four other businesses, two farms, and four laboratories. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply (MAPA) leads official controls and certification of exports of animals and animal products. The Department of Inspection of Animal Products (DIPOA) is responsible for managing the Brazilian Federal Inspection Service (SIF).

Brazilian authorities have made “significant” progress in correcting the systemic failings in the framework of controls and their application that led to enhanced Salmonella controls. According to Defra, changes to legislation and a restructuring of the authorities have strengthened the regulatory oversight of exports and clarified accountabilities.

By Joe Whitworth | Food Safety News

British authorities have decided to lift the reinforced controls on Brazilian meat, Brasilia’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture announced Monday, according to Agencia Brasil.

The measure was adopted nine months after a technical team visited the South American country.

Now Brazilian health authorities will be able to enable companies authorised to sell meat to the United Kingdom, a system called “pre-listing,” it was explained.

The United Kingdom will also start treating cases of avian influenza at the state level. Thus, any outbreaks of the disease in Brazil will only lead to the closure of the market for poultry meat from states with registered occurrences. Until now, the British government suspended purchases from the entire country in such cases.

In a joint statement, the two ministries said that the British government’s health audit mission found that Brazil had resolved issues related to sanitary and phytosanitary regulation that had led to the adoption of enhanced controls on Brazilian meat.

“The decision of the British authorities confirms the excellence of Brazilian official health controls, which guarantee the quality and safety of products consumed in Brazil and in importing countries,” the two ministries said.

 

 

Merco Press

THE news that Black Brow abattoir near Wigton is closing has shocked producers and butchers.

 

 

By Maureen Hodges | News & Star

There is ‘more positivity’ across the pig sector following two years of crippling losses, the National Pig Association (NPA) has said, although longer-term concerns remain.

Farmers summed up the sector’s mood during recent NPA meetings, as sustained higher pig prices, tight supplies and generally bearish trends in the feed ingredient markets bring relief after years of losses.

The past two years have seen one crisis follow another, with pig production losses estimated at £750m.

The NPA met online last week during the regional round-up, with one producer saying: “In general, there is a lot more positivity within the independent producers left in in the area around here.

“Everyone is down in numbers from where they have been historically. We are still feeling the impacts of the terrible summer and autumn infertility we had last year. A lot of producers have had similar issues.”

“Health wise, there have been some repercussions from the backlog, but I think that’s started to improve over last three months.”

 

by Farming UK

Ongoing asymmetry in UK-EU trade threatens to push up food prices in the UK, BPC chief executive, Richard Griffiths, told attendees at new conference Trade Unlocked.

Trade Unlocked – supported by UK Trade and Business Commission and Best for Britain – brought together parliamentarians, businesses leaders and trade experts to discuss trade and ways to boost growth to deliver a better future for all people in the UK.

In a panel session on Standards and Regulation, Griffiths said: “We need equality in trade. If we are to move forward as a sovereign nation, we need Government to get serious about developing a set of standards they believe in and keep at the heart of trade. Only then will we have an opportunity to build positive relationships with trading partners.”

For poultry meat exporters it is certainty and consistency that are key to a profitable and sustainable food system. On the repeated failure to implement full controls on product entering UK from EU, Griffiths, said: “Import checks have been postponed four times in two years, costing BPC members millions. The current system, that some industries are yet to feel the full weight of, is adding to already soaring production costs and eroding business viability. The longer disparity in UK-EU trade goes on, the harder it will get to address it.”

Poultry is half the meat the nation eats but additional administration and red tape has cost exporters well over £100 million since 1 January 2021. EU exporters have paid £0 and continue to enjoy a competitive advantage. The lack of a level playing field, combined with a Government that “is not defending our food standards,” is penalising poultry meat businesses and adding to inflating production costs, “threatening to undercut domestic production with cheaper imports and push up food prices in the UK amid a cost-of-living crisis,” Griffiths told attendees.

 

 

by Chloe Ryan | Poultry News

Farmers in Devon have expressed their outrage following Exeter City Council’s motion to transition to plant-based catering, neglecting the county’s wealth of local livestock producers.

The motion, which received “overwhelming” backing from councillors before Christmas, will see meat and dairy products expelled from all internal catered council meetings – including the upcoming annual general meeting in May.

It will also see plant-based foods promoted at all council-run sites, such as cafes and leisure centres.

The move echoes a similar direction taken by Oxfordshire County Council last year, which announced a ban on all animal products in its catering for full council meetings – something that constituent and TV star Jeremy Clarkson branded “utter madness”.

 

Matilda Bovingdon / Farmers Weekly