UK pork and ham gain more retail shelf space

Retailers have increased their support for British-farmed pork, ham and sausages over the past 12 months, but are still falling behind in their sourcing of bacon.

The latest Porkwatch survey, conducted on behalf of BPEX, showed all supermarkets had increased their British lines in some pork categories over the past year, and some had improved across the board. On average, British ham shelf facings were up 3.9% on the year, with sausages up by 3.5% and pork up by 1.5%.

“These results show retailers are listening to their customers,” said Lizzie Press, acting general manager at the National Pig Association. “We are delighted with the current trend because it allows pig farmers to reinvest in their businesses after three very difficult years caused by high feed costs.”

Waitrose and M&S were notable for their long-term support of British meat, both achieving at or close to 100% British pork and pork products. However, other retailers were falling behind in bacon sourcing, with British bacon shelf facings dropping by 7.4% on average. The NPA said it would be urging retailers to source more British bacon in 2014.

Read more

For more market reports see our Prices and Trends page.

See more