Price premium from healthy pork?

THE NATIONAL PIG Association is examining how British producers can continue to receive a premium in the face of competitive imports.

Meat and Livestock Commission figures show that with the exception of Parma Ham producers, GB production costs are well above those in other EU countries.

This is partly due to GB‘s higher welfare standards and the greater labour costs associated with less intensive pig meat production.

With nationwide concerns over healthy eating and obesity, opportunities to promote the lean, low fat merits of pig meat are being developed by the MLC in conjunction with the British Pig Executive and the NPA.

A new UK quality standard mark has just received EU approval and will be included as part of a “healthy, low-fat option” campaign due to be launched this autumn.

Major supermarkets including Asda and Tesco are also due to provide better labelling for their consumers containing information about levels of fat, sugar and salt at point of sale. 

Genetic selection is now aimed at lean meat production and further research into low cholesterol pig meat is also underway.

Consumers could soon be faced with better point of sale information after the second reading of the Food Labelling Bill is heard in Parliament on Oct 15.

A recent BPEX survey reported that 92% of consumers want imported meat to be produced to similar standards to those in the UK. 

The purpose of the Food Labelling Bill is to provide clear and unambiguous country of origin labelling and to put an end to the practise of brand name labelling which does not provide consumers with ready information on the product‘s country of origin.

According to the BPEX pig meat imports rose by 14% in 2003 and it claims that 70% of imports came from pigs reared to standards which would be illegal in the UK.

Calls for a re-launch of the quality standard mark and the healthy options provided by pig meat come at a time when GB pig prices are declining to below cost of production levels.