Recently in pork Category

“You can win ... you can grow … you can be one of the food industry’s great success stories,” was the positive message from Joanne Denney-Finch to producers at Quality Meat Scotland’s conference this week.

IGD’s research showed that farmers were viewed as hardworking, down to earth, professional and vital to the future, said chief executive Ms Denny-Finch.

“I find farmers are usually very pleasantly surprised to discover just how staunchly they’re supported by the public!”

But shoppers hunting harder for deals create complications for retailers and their suppliers, she warned. “Demand is going up and down in waves … sales are harder to predict and profit margins are regularly squeezed.

“Red meat has been relatively less affected and you’ve been spared some of these problems although you could lose out on sales. So if not through price cutting promotions … you will need to keep finding other ways to grab attention and convince shoppers of the value you offer.”

Sheep producers received a bigger share of the retail price for lamb in December 2011, but beef and pig farmers saw little change, according to AHDB’s latest UK Market Survey.

Strong export demand and tight supplies saw the average deadweight ex-farm price for lamb increase by 42p/kg in December compared with the month earlier. Over the same period the retail price declined slightly, so producers received almost 60% of the final retail price, up 6% on the month.

Overall during 2011 producers received 59% of the retail price, compared with 55% in 2010.

Beef producers received on average 54% of the final retail price during December, 1% down on the month, but 5% higher than December 2010. Pig producers saw a smaller improvement on the year (up 2%) and still receive a much lower share. The average ex-farm deadweight pig price equated to just 39% of the retail value in December.
 
 

Morrisons Traditional Breeds Beef Range hits the shelves this week, promoting quality cuts from native British cattle.

Two hundred farms have been producing Shorthorn, Hereford, Aberdeen Angus and finished stock from many other native breeds for the chain.
 
Consistently high eating quality in flavour and texture through marbling is the aim, with a special diet and 21 day maturing on the bone part of the plan. All of Morrisons’ fresh beef, lamb and pork is British.