July 7, 2006

Britain's meat industry receives grant to learn best practices

Britain's red-meat industry would be receiving a government grant to boost its competitiveness to make up for the high costs and strict regulations weighing down the industry. 

The Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is giving the Red Meat Industry Forum (RMIF) an Agriculture Development Scheme grant of GBP345,000 (US$634,023) to improve the industry over a period of 3 years.

The project would identify best practices in livestock production and processing industries globally and apply it to the British meat industry. It also aims to implement business improvement techniques to improve efficiency.

Ensuring best practices are applied and learning from other countries for the benefit of livestock producers is a vital element of RMIF's work in improving the red-meat industry's competitiveness, said RMIF chairman Peter Barr.

Barr said he is delighted with the grant added that it should give an edge to English livestock production and processing.