British Pork
The National Pig Association (NPA) has praised supermarkets, including Lidl, for giving over more shelf space to British pork
According to the latest Porkwatch survey from AHDB Pork for September, 100% of pork sold by Lidl was British.
The discounter joins the likes of: Aldi, Budgens, Co-op, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose in stocking 100% British pork. Asda and Tesco were reported to have 58% and 63% of facings that were British, respectively.
“We’re delighted with this news and hope Lidl will demonstrate over the months ahead that it isn’t a flash in the pan,” said NPA chairman Richard Lister.
Chief executive Dr Zoe Davies added that supermarkets needed to support the British pork industry and that it would continue to endorse those that do.
She said: “If retailers and foodservice want the convenience of a thriving British pig sector on their doorstep, producing reliable supplies of a quality-assured, traceable, high-welfare product, then it’s essential they make a special effort to source British pork, sausages, bacon and ham over the difficult months ahead.
“We’re carrying on with our Keep It Up campaign, which commends those retailers who have stood by their post-Horsegate pledges to source more British pork.”
According to the NPA, producers are no longer breaking even as a result of falling prices over the past year. The Standard Pig Price has dropped from 151p this time a year ago to 128p this week, while the break-even point is 139p.
A new survey shows consumers are backing British pork, with 80% saying supermarkets should continue to stock high levels of British meat.
Despite a glut of cheap foreign pork following the turmoil in Ukraine, customers want their shops to stock product from British farms to maintain consumer confidence following the horsegate scandal, according to YouGov research released by the National Pig Association (NPA).
The research also showed that 65% believe importing more European pork, which is not produced under food assurance schemes like Red Tractor, could increase risk of another horsegate-style scandal. Furthermore, only 19% want more cheaper European pork imports to keep down prices.
NPA chairman Richard Longthorp said: “Consumers have always been loyal to British pig farmers, particularly after horsegate, but even we have been surprised by this significant vote of confidence in the quality of our pork, bacon, sausages and ham. This research suggests supermarkets are delighting shoppers by sticking to their horsegate promises to sell more British meat, despite the current provocation of a mountain of cheap meat piling up in Continental cold stores.”
The NPA praised supermarkets for their loyalty to British pork, especially the “hundred-percenters” – Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Budgens, The Co-operative, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and discounters Aldi and Lidl.
NPA chief executive Dr Zoe Davies said: “The taste and quality of domestic pork and pork products is underrated by the high-welfare methods of British pig farms. Nearly half our pigs spend some of their lives outdoors, over 90% are covered by the independently-audited Red Tractor quality assurance scheme, and almost one-third are also inspected by RSPCA for its Freedom Food animal welfare label.
“This YouGov research shows shoppers are in no doubt that supermarket commitments following horsegate to source more British meat have played an important role in restoring confidence in the meat on supermarket shelves.”