January 14, 2005

 

 

UK Poultry And Pig Feel Competition From Imports

 

UK's intensive poultry and pig sectors is feeling huge pressure from the increasingly global nature of agriculture which has resulted in a significant rise in the level of imports.

 

In the first 10 months of 2004, according to figures from Customs & Excise, imports of poultry meat totaled 317,347 tons, compared to 282,7049 tons in the same months of 2003 and 261,345 tons in 2002.

 

The vast bulk of those imports are from other European Union states. At a total of 287,317 tons, this represents an increase of 35,000 tons. Imports from non-EU countries also rose, by more than 28,000 tons to 59,241 tons.

 

Chicken is the most popular emat product, with almost 288,000 tons entering the UK in the January to October period of 2004. Again the EU was the major source, with the Netherlands' leading at 124,526 tons. There has also been a significant increase in chicken imports from outside the EU, by almost 20,000 tonnes to 53,177 tonnes.

 

The turkey industry is meanwhile showing signs of stability, with imports at 18,771 tons marginally down on the corresponding period of 2003.

 

Total UK exports of poultry meat are however, in decline. Exports have fallen by 10,000 tons to 210,495 tons.

 

The pressures on the poultry sector are well illustrated by the Scottish Executive's June 2004 census, which reveals that the number of broilers declined by 11.5% on the previous year to 9.4 million birds, almost two million fewer than in 2001.

 

After years of decline the pig sector appears to have stabilised, with imports of pork rising only marginally to 316,915 tons between January and October 2004. Virtually all of the pork comes from the EU, with Denmark the major supplier with a total of 116,822 tons. However, the fact is that over the last five years imports of pork have increased by 116,000 tons.

 

Imports of bacon declined last year from 245,825 tons to 242,633 tons, still 12,000 tons higher than five years ago.

 

The UK also exports pork and bacon. There the statistics are brighter, with trade in pork rising by just more than 6000 tons to 64,314 tons. However, UK exports of bacon fell last year from 11,452 tons to 10,750 tons.

 

The star of UK's food export industry is the exports of live pigs from 33,182 to 52,510 per head, most for breeding. This is double the level of two years ago and reflects the international reputation of UK pig genetics.