Poultry News
A poultry company is looking to set up a state-of-the-art processing plant at a former cheese packing factory near Wrexham, potentially investing up to £10 million and creating 150 jobs in the area.
Maelor Poultry has put forward proposals, on which it said it will be working closely with Wrexham Council. The proposals, it added, were currently in the early stages of the planning process at the former First Milk site at Marchwiel.
A spokesman for Maelor Poultry said: “We anticipate an initial investment of up to £10m on this site, to create a leading-edge production facility. We have been seeking a suitable site for this facility for some time and are excited at the prospect of the Maelor Creamery, which has had a long history of highly productive food processing. The geographical location lends itself to such a facility because of the proximity of numerous poultry farmers and a local hatchery.
“There will be investment in modernising the site, and developing a state-of-the-art processing plant. And of course, this area has a wealth of experienced food industry workers, whom we hope will embrace the opportunity to be part of the next phase in this well-known site’s story.”
The company added that the regional economy will receive a boost, with direct and indirect job creation due to supply chain opportunities both in the Welsh border area, and into Shropshire and Cheshire.
Maelor Poultry said, it intended to redevelop the facility, which has been operational for more than 60 years, in accordance with sustainability principles at both local and national levels, using existing buildings and facilities to accommodate a modern, efficient poultry processing plant.
Pork processors Cranswick will make its first move into poultry with the acquisition of a fellow Yorkshire firm Benson Park.
Cranswick said the acquisition was in line with its “growth strategy” to broaden its product range, which was highlighted in May this year.
Adam Couch, chief executive officer of Cranswick, commented: “A key component of the group’s long-term growth strategy is to develop new product channels in its core UK market both in pork and other proteins. Today’s announcement represents important progress in that objective. This strategic investment moves Cranswick firmly into a new protein category with a well-invested business that has a strong presence, supplying premium poultry products, in the fast-growing food-to-go sector.”
As Benson Park reported strong profits of £41.1m for the year 2013/2014, market analyst Investec said this was a “sensible acquisition” and would make no changes to the “positive prospects” of Cranwick’s pork operations.
The takeover will see the modern, purpose-built facility in Hull, East Yorkshire, which employs approximately 90 staff, come under the Cranswick name.
“David Park, Managing Director, will remain with Benson Park, and we welcome David and his team to Cranswick and look forward to working with them to further develop the business,” Couch concluded.
Morrisons was celebrating after scooping the top title in the annual British Turkey Awards last week.
The Bradford-based business took home the title of Retailer of the Year, beating off strong competition from Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and The Co-operative, with judges unanimously deciding the chain offered a great range of turkey products year-round, with Asda following a close second.
Morrisons was also successful in the Best Christmas Traditional Product, with its Fresh Turkey, while rival Asda took home the Best Christmas Premium category with its Blue Slate Turkey.
Sainsbury’s also did well on the night, with its Turkey Breast and Thigh Joint with Cranberry and Apple Stuffing, Topped with Cranberry and Apricot being declared the Best Christmas Convenience Product, while its Thigh Joint with Herb and Cranberry Crumb took the title of Best Meal Solution.
Paul Kelly, chair of the British Turkey Federation, said: “The 2014 British Turkey Awards has once again been very exciting and I would like to extend my congratulations to all the deserving producers and retailers who are working hard to put the very best turkey products on our plates both at Christmas and the rest of the year. Winning products will be flagged up to customers on packs using a British Turkey Awards winner logo to show they really are buying the best of British.”
The evening also raised money for the children’s medical charity Sparks, and Dravet Syndrome UK, with entertainment provided by comedian and television host Patrick Kielty.
The winners in full:
Best Meal Solution (sponsored by Hybrid Turkeys)
• By Sainsbury’s Thigh Joint with a Herb & Cranberry Crumb
Best Christmas Convenience Product (sponsored by Securcom)
• Sainsbury’s Turkey Breast & Thigh Joint with Pork, Cranberry & Apple Stuffing, Topped with Cranberry & Apricot
Best Christmas Traditional Product (sponsored by Easichick)
• Morrisons Fresh Whole Turkey
Best Christmas Premium Product (sponsored by Clarke Group Construction)
• Asda Butchers Selection Blue Slate Whole turkey
Best Innovation Christmas (sponsored by ABN)
• Sainsbury’s TtD Norfolk Black Free Range Turkey Parcel. Layered With Chestnut, Maple and Thyme stuffing, Cranberries and wrapped in Oak-smoked Bacon
Best Innovation All Year Round (sponsored by ABN)
• Asda Chosen by You Turkey Mini Fillets with Brie, Cranberry Sauce & Bacon
Best Foodservice Product for Cost Sector (sponsored by Noble Foods)
• The UK Foodhall Ready to Roast British Turkey Breast
Best Foodservice Product for Profit Sector (sponsored by Noble Foods)
• Mitchells & Butler – Toby Carvery – Carvery Turkey Crown
Best Ready-to-Eat Product (sponsored by Calor)
• Adlington Roasted Turkey Breast Stuffed with Ham & Wholegrain Mustard
Foodservice Operator of the Year (sponsored by Coveris)
• Mitchells & Butler – Toby Carvery
Best Blogger Recipe (sponsored by Red Tractor)
• Foodycat Alicia – Turkey B’stilla
Student Chefs of the Year (sponsored by Aviagen Turkeys)
• David Pullin of South Staffordshire College for his ‘Oasis of the Middle East’ Turkey Bonbon, Yellow Split Pea Hummus Shredded Turkey Thigh in Moroccan-Style Chutney, Saffron Couscous, Arabic Flatbread Shard and Mint Yoghurt Dip
• Jessica Marshall of Hull College for her Golden Saffron Potato Surprise with a Blanket of Rice topped with Fried Spinach and Spiced Turkey Batons coated in a Pomegranate Reduction with Ground Pistachios, surrounded by a Crab Apple and Blackberry Jam Sauce with Poached Rose-water Rhubarb
Retailer of the Year (sponsored by Zoetis)
• Morrisons
Discount retailer’s like-for-like sales also up 30% in 2013, driving pre-tax profits up 65.2% to £261m
Aldi saw its sales grow 35.7% to £5.3 billion in 2013.
Like-for-like sales were up 30%, meanwhile, driving pre-tax profits up 65.2% to £261m.
The retailer’s UK bosses, Matthew Barnes and Roman Heini, told The Daily Telegraph that the German retailer had emerged as the new “consumer champion”, that it is benefiting from a “lack of trust” in traditional supermarkets, and that its sales have actually been boosted by the price war among the ‘big four’ retailers.
The news comes as Sainsbury’s is expected to post a fall in like-for-like sales on Wednesday (1 October), while Tesco is reeling from a trio of profit warnings and the discovery of a £250m black hole in its accounts.
Barnes told the Telegraph: “As the price war has begun, our sales, market share and growth have accelerated. Customers have become so much more sceptical since the recession about the grocery market in terms of value, transparency, and special offers.
“They have been bamboozled by a price reduction from a very high level to a low level, and yet that low level is still more expensive than Aldi.
“I think that has enabled us to stand out as a bit of a shining light. You can call us a consumer champion in that respect. Customers have come to see Aldi as a business they can trust, potentially in a market where there is very much a lack of trust.”
According to the newspaper, Aldi is attracting one million more customers than a year ago. The average customer is also buying more items, with Aldi recording an average basket size of 16.9 items, ahead of 16.6 at Tesco, but behind 18.8 at Asda.
Despite this increase, the average amount spent at Aldi is £18.99 – still 22% less than the £24.37 average spend at Tesco.
A new meat brand, Upper Teesdale Limited, is taking on the supermarkets by offering farmers higher returns, while shortening the lamb supply chain.
Upper Teesdale, which has just started trading online, was set up by seven farming families in Teesdale as a reaction to concern to falling returns on hillside lambs.
The business is offering customers across the country whole and half lamb boxes priced at £160 and £95 respectively, using primarily the Swaledale sheep breed found in the mountainous regions of Great Britain, including the north Pennines.
Upper Teesdale has enlisted local abattoir and butcher’s F Simpson and Son as processors, from where the boxes will be delivered.
Paul Johnson, chairman of Upper Teesdale, reported: “This is great opportunity to purchase Swaledale Hill lamb direct from the producers and comes at a time when many supermarkets are not even making British lamb available in their stores. We believe we are offering great-tasting lamb at a very competitive price.”
The government plans to set up a new Food Crime Unit by the end of the year, as recommended by the post-horsegate Elliott review final report, which was published today.
Professor Chris Elliott’s review, carried out in response to last year’s horsemeat scandal, has made a number of recommendations to tackle food fraud, which have all have been accepted by environment secretary Elizabeth Truss.
As well as setting up the Food Crime Unit, the government has said it will be “ensuring we have a resilient network of food analytical laboratories to test food consistently”, and “improving coordination across government to protect food integrity and tackle food crime”.
The final report said that a new Food Crime Unit, based on the Dutch model, should be created with the FSA which would become the lead agency for food crime. It continued that a strong central team and dedicated staff with specialist skills would be needed with a range of functions.
The government said the unit will be set up “to give greater focus to enforcement against food fraud in government by analysing intelligence, initiating investigations and liaising with other criminal and regulatory enforcement agencies”.
In response to the report, Truss said: “We’re taking action to make sure that families can have absolute confidence in the food that they buy. When a shopper picks something up from a supermarket shelf it should be exactly what it says on the label, and we’ll crack down on food fraudsters trying to con British consumers.”
The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) director Stephen Rossides said: “The BMPA welcomes publication of the final report of the Elliott Review. We will need to study the report’s findings and recommendations carefully before responding in more detail.”
The new butchery apprenticeship standard, developed by a Trailblazer Employer Group, has received ministerial approval after “months of hard work”.
The Butchery Trailblazer Employer Group, made up of representatives from companies including Morrisons, Aubrey Allen, Fairfax Meadow, Bernard Matthews and Tulip, saw its new standard formally published on 20 August after the ministerial approval.
The standard will replace current frameworks as part of the government’s employer-driven Trailblazer Strategy.
Skills minister Nick Boles said: “Since 2010 there have been over 1.8 million apprenticeship starts and the Butchery Trailblazer is leading by example in the development and delivery of high-quality apprenticeships that give people the chance of successful careers and help businesses get the skills they need to grow.
”Lucianne Allen, chair of the Trailblazer group and sales and marketing director of Aubrey Allen, said: “This new standard will be responsive to the needs of our industry, meaning that each apprentice we train will have the skills, knowledge and behaviours we require. Our business is very much looking forward to the new standard coming into effect in 2015.”
The Food and Drink Training and Education Council (FTC), which supported the group, also offered its congratulations. Chief executive Bill Jermey said: “We are delighted to receive this announcement today, it is testimony to the hard work which the employer-led group has put into this reform.
“Today is a real milestone for the sector, one which will have a strong and positive impact on the future of the industry in terms of the way in which we can develop the skills and knowledge of young butchers. At FTC we welcome the new approach to apprenticeships that the government is taking. And we could not be more happy with the quality of this new butchery standard. Very well done to all involved.”
It is a commonly discussed subject; the average age of a UK butcher seems to be between 50 and 60. I wonder what the average age would have been in 1950 after the war?
However, there now seems to be a healthy number of younger butchers emerging in and around London. We currently have three staff – all former chefs – who have become qualified butchers due to the better hours and better living conditions. They have an added advantage over us when it comes to product development and flavour balancing. There has also been an increase in new butcher’s shops started up by keen, inspired young men, along with father-to-son(s) succession. It is certainly easier to continue an established business. One former employee of ours started a new business about four years ago, with a small budget and a lot of heart. Now he has taken over a second shop and has a very happy local customer base. But the next thing is to attract school-leavers, and show them the benefits of the meat trade.
We recently advertised for an apprentice butcher, offering a full apprenticeship. There was a very quick response from a 17-year-old, who was not currently working. His name is Jamie. He had taken a job as an apprentice electrician, but in the six months employed, he had just worked as a cashier in the electrical shop. He had never been assessed, trained or tested and felt there was no prospect of development, so he left.
During the interview, I outlined the sort of apprenticeship I had in mind, and the job role he would be doing. As I led him around the shop and preparation areas it was a new experience for him. He left, and the other members of staff met me with smiles and questions. We had been short-staffed for a few weeks, and everybody was glad to hear he was starting on Monday.
Well Jamie has been with us for four weeks, and we’re really pleased with how he is progressing. He is starting a Level 3 butchery apprentice course very shortly. He can already dice and trim some cuts. He is the youngest member of the team for a long time.
Moy Park has announced its grower expansion programme in Northern Ireland has been a success, with over 250 new poultry houses planned for completion by the end of 2015.
Moy Park explained that it had embarked on the programme, which was launched at the end of last year, as part of the business’ plan to grow its fresh, locally farmed chicken supply for its UK and Ireland customers. It reported that 90 houses were either built or nearing completion.
Alan Gibson, Moy Park director, said: “This expansion is in response to what we believe is a long-term demand from both retailers and consumers for fresh, locally sourced poultry. We currently work with 800 of the very best poultry farmers and we are pleased with the response we’ve had to our call for growers in Northern Ireland to expand poultry production.
“We currently have over 250 new poultry houses in the programme but we are still looking for growers in proximity to our two main primary processing sites in Ballymena, Co Antrim and Dungannon, Co Tyrone, who want to expand or move into poultry production.”
Moy Park said its expansion programme has included a recently announced £170m investment and the creation of 628 jobs in Northern Ireland. It appealed to farmers to continue to help expansion: “The growth opportunity is open to both existing poultry growers and suitable new farmers in Northern Ireland. Moy Park is inviting those interested to come forward to find out how they could qualify for the programme to build new broiler and breeder houses and become part of one of Europe’s most successful poultry businesses.
The scheme sees a Moy Park Agri Team helping farmers to invest and expand in their business, as well providing help and guidance for new farmers starting out in the industry. As part of this, the company was instrumental in getting a government Agri-Food Loan Scheme up and running.