Calls for honest labelling

Country of origin labelling of meat products is not clear enough despite three-quarters of consumers wanting to see the name of the country of origin on the pack, according to a new NFU report.

The report, issued by the Meat and Livestock Commission on behalf of the union, has urged supermarkets to clearly label food with country of origin information so consumers can choose to buy food reared to high standards on British farms.

NFU president Peter Kendall said better labelling was vital to help farmers harness consumer demand to support British produce. “The need for honest and clear labelling is hugely important,” he said.

Burt sources all its meats from reputable suppliers that we trust. Whilst most of them have been supplying us for many years, each of them must still meet our most stringent quality control standards.

Best of British!

We have been buying fine beef and lamb from Scotland for many years now. Scotland has long enjoyed a deserved reputation for high quality meat and our beef is hung for 14 days at source then hung for a further 7 days on our own premises to ensure a consistent quality.

In addition to supplying pork and chicken we also offer an extensive range of cooked meats and other wholesale catering supplies including:

Burt’s Famous home-made sausages
Finest scottish beef
Beautiful home cooked meats

So, if you want reassurance about the origin of your meat - why not pay Burts a visit?

NFU calls for ban on beef from Brazil

NFU President Peter Kendall has called on the EU Commission urgently to consider banning imports of beef from Brazil, in the light of further reports of serious breaches in cattle identification regulations in a country where foot and mouth disease is endemic.

Speaking at the Herefordshire NFU annual meeting in Hereford last week, Mr Kendall said: “Livestock farmers across Britain have just endured four months of misery as we have complied with the strictest animal movement and biosecurity regime imaginable, at a cost of tens of millions of pounds, in order to satisfy the EU veterinary authorities that our beef, lamb and pork can safely be allowed back into international trade.

“Had our precautions, and in particular our arrangements for tracking and verifying the movement of livestock, been found wanting in the slightest particular, it would have set back the timetable for the lifting of trade restrictions by months.

“Yet now we understand a very different set of rules applies to our main competitors, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, in Brazil. In previous inspections, the EU’s Food and Veterinary Organisation (FVO) has found serious shortcomings in the arrangements in the Brazilian cattle traceability and other record-keeping arrangements.
“Last year, an investigation by the Irish Farmers Associations found evidence of deliberate malpractice, which suggested that cattle from regions of Brazil where foot and mouth disease is endemic and from which exports are supposed to be banned, were being illegally re-tagged in order to disguise their identity and origin.

“Now we understand that the most recent FVO inspection has identified breaches of animal ID requirements so serious that, according to unconfirmed but entirely plausible reports, the Brazilians have offered to restrict exports themselves in the hope of pre-empting more drastic action by the EU.

“This is not an acceptable situation. The same strict standards should be applied to the traceability of meat imported into the EU as apply to meat produced in the EU, in the interests of consumer protection, disease prevention and fair trade.

“We shall be calling on the EU Commission to act on the findings of the latest FVO inspection without delay and impose an immediate ban on imports from Brazilian beef until the Brazilian authorities have satisfied EU officials that they are fully compliant with the rules.

“That is what has been expected of livestock producers in this country as the price for our meat being allowed back into international trade, and I can see no reason at all why a similar level of compliance should not be expected of our competitors.”

The Brazilian Beef Information Service (BBIS) has responded with claims that Kendall is “misguided” in calling for the ban on beef exports from Brazil.

“He has jumped aboard an anti-Brazilian bandwagon without seemingly understanding the facts,” said director Rob Metcalfe.

“A ban on Brazilian beef would be bad for consumers and bring no benefit at all to the British farmers he is trying to protect.”

According to the BBIS, it is a scientific impossibility for exports of Brazilian beef to present an FMD threat to the EU.

Metcalfe said that, in fact, the EU must be more tightly regulated than Brazil because of its history of disease and its production system. EU regulations were developed in the wake of BSE, a disease which never existed in the Brazil, and the EU regime is designed to deal with small, intensive farming operations where animals are kept in close proximity- a system of farming that does not bear relation to Brazil’s extensive year-round grazing.

“That said, Brazilian farmers and exporters are determined to meet whatever standards EU scientists (as opposed to protectionist farmers) stipulate are right for our way of producing beef,” he said.

Brazil has supplied Europe with beef for over 75 years and Brazil is now the world’s biggest beef exporter. Supporters of Brazilian beef believe that the increased competitive pressure on small intensive beef producers in Ireland and the UK has resulted in an orchestrated campaign of anti-Brazilian beef propaganda.

“The sad thing is that if Brazilian beef was banned, prices would rise, making beef simply unaffordable to many consumers,” Metcalfe said.

Men v Women - a question of meat?

The differences between the sexes extends to the dinner plate with men preferring meat and women opting for fruit and vegetables, according to a report in today's Daily Telegraph.

Apparently, research has found that women are programmed to choose a healthier diet.

Favourites such as duck, veal and ham are high on men's menus and they are also more likely to eat shellfish such as shrimp and oysters. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to choose vegetables, especially carrots and tomatoes, and love strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and apples. Women also prefer dry foods, such as almonds and walnuts, and are more likely to consume eggs and yogurt compared with men.

However, the study of more than 14,000 Americans found some exceptions to the rules. Women loved fresh burgers while men preferred frozen ones and men were significantly more likely to eat asparagus and Brussels sprouts than women.

More news on meat prices

The price of meat will have to rise to protect the health of the livestock industry, which is reeling from the latest outbreak of foot-and-mouth and the wettest summer on record, according to a study published today.

The EU export ban on British meat that was lifted over the weekend cost farmers £1.8m a day since it was imposed at the start of the month. Farmers are also suffering from the rising costs of wheat and soft commodities. Some producers are facing almost 100 per cent price rises in feed costs, according to the Deloitte consultancy.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said many farmers were reducing their stock or considering quitting livestock farming.

Richard Crane, food and agriculture partner at Deloitte, said: "UK shoppers will have to pay more for their meat. Increased prices will allow farmers to continue to meet the increasing demand for local, high-quality meat. Without it, the opportunity to enjoy home-grown quality produce and British meat could become a rarity on supermarket shelves."

Peter King, the NFU's chief livestock adviser, said that, following the dismantling of the Common Agricultural Policy, which guaranteed a minimum price to producers, British livestock farmers have been struggling. Farmers are paid 200p per kilogram for cattle but this is 15-20 per cent less than the cost it takes to produce it, he said. The doubling of wheat prices has added an extra 45-50p to the cost of a kilogram, which farmers are unable to get back.

"It is just at the point where consumers are demanding more local and more home-grown products that British farmers are most under threat," said Mr King. "Everybody in the supply chain has a responsibility to recognise that farmers are producing meat well below the cost of production."

He said that, over the past two years, cattle stock had reduced by 7 per cent and this looked set to continue.

Mr Crane said vaccinations of animals are likely to be introduced to ensure no further outbreaks occur, which would be an extra burden on farmers. Furthermore foreign markets could still close their doors to UK meat.

"The export of animal by-products, for example, the sub-prime cuts which are exported to maximise returns, would not be available," he said. "The upshot is reduced returns to the farmers and the processors which could hurt the UK's £493m-a-year meat export industry."

In February, following the outbreak of bird flu, Sainsbury's and Morrisons reported a 10 per cent week-on-week drop across all fresh and frozen poultry products and Sainsbury's said sales of its own-brand poultry products were down by 5 per cent.

The EU ban was imposed after foot-and-mouth was first confirmed at a farm near Guildford in Surrey on 3 August.

Meat prices on the rise again!

The price of meat may soon increase again as production costs mount and demand outstrips supply.

The cost of food is accelerating at a record rate due to soaring dairy and meat prices, official figures show. Supermarkets are having to pay 8.4 per cent more than a year ago for everything from milk and bread to ready meals and packaged meat. This is the highest annual rate since 1986 when the Office of National Statistics started records.

Analysts say most of the increases will be passed to shoppers already hit by record rises in household bills. Food prices have soared in recent months, with a £1.06 pack of butter 41 per cent more expensive than a year ago and a standard sliced loaf hitting £1 for the first time.

Statistics from The Grocer, the trade magazine, show that cheese is now more expensive than at any time in the past three years. Stilton is 41 per cent dearer than a year ago and experts calculate that a family which was spending £70 on their weekly grocery shop are now paying £400 more a year on their food bills.

Several factors lie behind rising food prices. British fruit and vegetables were hit by last year's poor summer. Many crops suffered, especially the pea and potato harvest. The wet weather also forced many dairy farmers to give their herds expensive winter feed, adding to costs.

Global commodity markets have also been in turmoil as poor harvests, especially in Australia, have led to lower supplies of wheat. This has combined with surging demand from India and China.

The mix of falling supply and rising demand produced spiralling prices for wheat, meat and dairy products. As a result, food factories are having to pay 16.4 per cent more for food ingredients than a year ago and double that rate for ingredients from Britain, according to yesterday's figures.

Analysts have warned that beef, pork and poultry producers are struggling with rising feed costs with wheat prices still climbing steadily.

So, with meat prices set to continue rising, those in the catering sector need to ensure that they are receiving good value for their meat purchases - and for good value in the south east, there's no better place to look than Burts.

Meat foils thief!

A meat thief in Gloucester met his match when a restaurant owner fought off the assault by hitting the thief with a frozen ham.

The owner heard a noise in his restaurant and saw a man fleeing with his arms full of meat from his freezer. That’s when the man raised a five pound log of frozen prosciutto over his head, to attack the owner.

Luckily, he had his own frozen pig product on hand and attacked the thief with a frozen ham - and the thief was so stunned, he dropped the meat and ran.

Police searched the area, but couldn’t find the suspect.