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The government's concern about the price of meat grows. Cuts in March in butcher shops had a significant rise of 7.1%, according to the Institute for the Promotion of Argentine Beef (IPCVA), which represents an annual increase of 75.1%, compared to March 2020. In search of stabilizing prices, the Government has already announced changes in the retail marketing of meat, which should be done in pieces of 32 kilos maximum, and next period it will report a new program of cuts of meat at Popular Prices. The agreement would once again be signed by the same actors, the main one being the Consortium of Argentine Meat Exporters (ABC), which accounts for 80% of the market.
On 1 January 2021, Belpork vzw launched the renewed BePork quality standard. This new, generic quality system, an amalgamation of Certus and CodiplanPLUS, provides a response to current industry needs in addition to uniting all the operators in the pig industry. Belpork vzw is an interprofessional organisation, with national coverage, and was founded in 2000. All the operators in the pig industry are represented. So it is an initiative of the industry, for the industry. The association’s mission is to promote the quality of Belgian pork in a sustainable way, with innovative projects and through the management of quality systems. As such, the association creates added value for the promotion of Belgian pork.
Cambodia imposed a ban on the imports of frozen meat and meat products from India in further efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the Southeast Asian country, said Kun Nhim, director-general of Cambodia's General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE). The ban took effect immediately and until further notice, he said in a statement, adding that the temporary suspension came after India reported a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases.
Nhim also advised customs officials to spray disinfectant on transport vehicles and the outer packaging of other products that have been sourced from India.
China will work to improve the genetics of its hog herd and other livestock in the coming decade with the aim of breeding animals that produce more meat and -- at the same time - consume less grains.
Sow herd productivity is about 30% lower than in developed countries and dairy cows produce only 80% of the milk than their peers in some leading markets, Shi Jianzhong, an official with the agriculture ministry’s National Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources Committee told reporters. China has to rely on overseas stock to produce white-feathered broiler chickens, he said.
The drive to improve livestock genetics is part of China’s goal of relying less on imports to feed its massive and increasingly affluent population. However, the nation will continue to bring in animals from overseas to improve its domestic stock to catch up faster with advanced countries, said Chen Yaosheng, an official at the ministry’s National Pig Genetic Improvement Program.
Prosciutto di Parma closes 2020 with a reduction in production: around 8,700,000 branded hams were produced, down by 2.2%, while the thighs started for production were 7,800,000 down by 10% compared to 2019. 2020 showed a general contraction of the raw ham market. In this context, sales of Parma in Italy in the modern distribution channel decreased by 5.6%, while exports managed to contain the crisis at least in part with a decline of 3% and 2,500,000 Parma hams exported.
Although prices for old season lambs have dipped back from the record prices reported in autumn and winter, they are still 43% higher than last year according to the latest market commentary from Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).
Iain Macdonald, QMS Senior Economics Analyst, explains: “In the third week of April, prices for old season lambs have dipped back from highs above £3.10/kg at Scottish marts between Easter and Ramadan, but still averaged around £3.05/kg. This would put them 43% higher than last year, closer to 50% above their five-year average, and even 17% above their early season peak from May 2020. One factor supporting the lamb market in 2021 has been the early marketing pattern this season, which has seen fewer lambs sold at Scottish marts on a weekly basis than during the August to December period, when in a more normal season it would be the opposite.”
With Britain spending the first quarter of the year in its third lockdown, consumers continued to turn to takeaways. According to Kantar data, takeaways* were up 79% in the 12 weeks ending 21 Mar 21, when compared to the same period a year earlier.
Despite this increase in takeaways, it hasn’t been enough to compensate for losses in other parts of the out of home market. Over the same period, eating out dropped by 92% while on-the-go consumption occasions declined by 46%. Takeaways haven’t fully compensated for these losses, instead the area that’s gained has been retail grocery, with in-home occasions up 21% during that 12-week period. Consumers are still more likely to collect their orders in person (including the use of drive-thrus), accounting for 74% of takeaway trips in the 12 w/e 21 Mar 21. However, deliveries are now much more important, representing a 26% share of takeaway trips, up from just 15% two years ago. This is due to the phenomenal growth rate in deliveries, which increased by 319% year-on-year over that 12-week period.
The long-term trend of declining pig abattoir numbers in England has accelerated recently, according to AHDB. The latest figures show that just 93 slaughterhouses killed pigs in 2020, 10 fewer than in 2019 and 22 fewer than in 2018. The number is now half what it was in the year 2000. The industry continues to consolidate, with the 11 largest plants (each of which slaughtered over 100,000 head) accounting for 93% of total slaughter, up from 92% the year before.
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