Pork is currently great value for shoppers since retailers have honoured their pledge to stock British product, according to pig levy body Bpex.
The organisation explained that the differential between UK and EU pig prices was at its highest in living memory and usually this would lead to cheaper Continental imports being sucked in, leading to an adjustment in prices. However this has not happened, in part because of the pledge taken by retailers and foodservice firms to stock domestic product following the horsegate scandal.
UK consumers can get great value by buying pork, since UK pigs have fallen in price by more than 15% since the summer, added Bpex.
However, AHDB senior analyst Stephen Howarth said continued loyalty to British pork will be essential in the future: “The majority of those organisations seem to have stuck to the pledge and are still stocking their shelves with British product.
“However, it is now more important than ever for all those organisations to stick to their pledge. Despite there being a huge differential in price, the amount pig producers in this country are being paid has fallen below the cost of production.
“With our forecasts showing that there will be more pork available this year, demand for British pigs will need to be stronger for the price decline to reverse.”