Speaking at the opening of the tenth EBLEX export conference Minister George Eustice said that whilst he did not want to prempt any answers that may emerge from next week’s Beef Summit a meat processor code of conduct and transparency rules may be on the table.
The beef summit will see farmers, processors and supermarkets come together to discuss measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of the beef sector. Eustice told delegates: “These are challenging times for the sector. Some farmers say they have been losing as much as £200 per animal." He went on to say that the summit would address three key areas. "The first is the short term issues around price. Some producers feel strongly that the supermarkets have been taking larger profit margins."
"We will be looking at the marketing of beef, and the opportunities afforded by the opening of export markets and the increasing growth in demand for lamb there." The third key area will be looking at productivity and how the beef industry can raise its competitiveness, for example examining the performance of sires, yields and also looking at how dissemination of that data could be shared.
A full report on the conference will appear in the July/August issue of Meat Management.
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