UK meat sector focuses on future trends

The British Pork Executive (BPEX) and English Beef & Lamb Executive (EBLEX) hosted an annual keynote event that focused on the future of the UK meat industry and the effects of climate change to it.

Sion Roberts (CE, English Food and Farming Partnerships) emphasised that food expenditure over the last 20 years has remained fairly stable but overall, consumer expenditure has risen sharply so food is effectively twice as affordable as it was in the past. Roberts pointed to changes in ownership in the meat sector, with Vion (Netherlands) and Tulip buying UK businesses. Although some might see this as an erosion of UK control on the meat sector, Roberts viewed it as a good thing as it brought in technological expertise and know-how, which would be beneficial in the long term.

"Forty percent of food is wasted; reducing this (wastage) would help the environment hugely," said Mark Driscoll, head of Sustainable Consumption Policy, World Wildlife Fund. Driscoll assured the audience that there was no need for everyone to go vegetarian but meat consumption had to be reduced, with consumers eating less, but better quality meat. Deforestation is still occurring in Brazil to provide land to grow soya to feed to pigs and poultry.

"Water is more important than climate change," stated Anthony Kleanthous, founder of Here Tomorrow Ltd/Senior Policy Adviser on sustainability at WWF-UK. "Water in some aquifers, once extracted, will never be replaced". Less soy should be fed to pigs. Anaerobic digesters convert pig slurry, food and slaughter house waste into fertiliser and energy.

James Park, AHDB Market Intelligence Senior Analyst, reviewed the UK pig market highlighting the strong ongoing trend in UK pig returns partly due to the weak pound. Imports of pork and bacon from Denmark have fallen, to be replaced by those from Netherlands, Germany and Ireland. The national pig herd is finally starting to grow again, although output is still poor with only 20 pigs sold per sow every year. Sow numbers are not predicted to rise dramatically as producers choose to use profits to replace worn out existing buildings, rather than expand herd size.