Buoyant outlook for UK poultrymeat and egg market

The outlook for the UK’s poultrymeat and egg sectors is buoyant as chicken gains market share from red meat, and egg demand strengthens as the high-protein food movement grows.

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In 1970, poultry’s share of UK meat consumption was 18kg a head of population and it now stands at 22kg, said David Hughes, professor of food and marketing at Imperial College, London.

The picture is even more promising globally – consumption per capita in the US is 53kg, up from 22kg in 1970.

“Americans are serious poultry consumers,” he observed.

Across the world and in the UK, egg demand is strong too, but domestically less so for egg snacks, compared with other countries.

Egg snacks potential

David believed there was much that the UK egg sector could learn from Asia, Spain and Latin America on snacks and mini-meal ideas.

“They are so much better than we are at using eggs – eggs are a stronger part of their culture in a wider sense,” he said.

Globally, the future for chicken and eggs is “generally set fair”, he predicted. “We have got a lot to offer on price, and in terms of protein, you can’t get much better.”

While work was needed on waste pollution, the sectors scored well on carbon footprint, he added.

Import risk

However, UK production is coming under increasing pressure from imports.

“When I look at our basic trade statistics, I see chicken imports going up, egg imports going up,” said David.

“The fact of the matter is that as the proportion of chicken and eggs purchased by consumers moves towards value-added forms, that could be a problem, because when you pick up a snack product, you don’t immediately look at where it is produced.

“We have pretty high self-sufficiency in chicken and eggs, but if we move in the direction of value-added, we will have more competition from outside.”

David Hughes was speaking at the recent Poultry Network Live conference at Harper Adams University.