Disruption to UK meat exports to EU delayed for 12 months
New rules on exports to the EU that would have caused significant disruption to the UK meat industry have been delayed for 12 months following representations to the UK government by leading meat trade bodies.
The rules that were due to come into force on 13th December 2022 would have meant that under the EU requirement for farms of origin to have a regular veterinary visit, the new UK rules would have meant that farmers would no longer be able to self certify meaning that evidence such as membership of a recognised farm assurance scheme or a valid veterinary declaration would have been required despite farmer declarations being accepted by the EU.
The rules are now due to come into force on the 13th December 2023.
PGI Welsh Lamb scores well for quality and tenderness
A project to investigate how on-farm and processing factors affect the eating quality of lamb has found that for both nutritional value and tenderness PGI Welsh Lamb scored well.
Animals reared on grass, and on roots and brassicas, produced meat which had levels of 124 mg of Omega-3 per 100 grams, compared to average concentrate-fed lamb of 89 mg. Tests for tenderness showed that all Welsh Lamb compared well to industry benchmarks. Lamb produced during the height of the production season in Wales from samples taken in August and November yielded exceptionally tender meat.
The results were released from the Lamb Meat Quality Project as part of Hybu Cig Cymru’s wider Red Meat Development Programme.
Research shows Brexit added £210 per household to food bills
Researchers at the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics analysed data on food products in the UK to identify the transfer of the cost of Brexit red tape to householders.
The research found that due to additional red-tape and paperwork, imports of food products from the EU rose in price by 3% per year for two years during 2020 and 2021 adding £6 billion to the cost of food imports compared to pre Brexit free trade.
This equated to £210 per UK household with the rise in non-tariff barriers for trade with the EU over the two years contributing to the highest inflation seen in the UK in 40 years.
Study reveals farmers’ paltry share of food profits
A food charity has called for ministers to force supermarkets to publish more information about their supply chains along with legally binding supply chain codes of practice, to force supermarkets to give farmers a fair deal for their produce.
Sustain conducted a survey of five food products and found that farmers received almost negligible profit. An example was a packet of four beefburgers where the farmer made less than 1 pence profit while the retailer made ten times as much.
The survey found that food had high production and overhead costs while profits were not shared fairly along the supply chain. The report also showed that paying farmers more would not necessarily mean an increase in the price paid by the consumer.