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The announcement was made during a UK trade mission to China and is the culmination of several years’ work by Defra, UKTI, Bpex, QMS and UK pork producers.

Chinese consumption of meat, pork in particular, is increasing and outstripping domestic supply and the UK pig industry estimates that trade in British pork with China may soon be worth more than £50m a year. Much of the export will be made up of fifth-quarter products, including offal, trotters, and pigs ears, which are not used in domestic markets.

Paice said: “China is the most lucrative grocery market in the world and, from fashion to food, its rapidly expanding middle class has an appetite for Western goods.

“In particular they are eating more meat, and our top-quality producers have got huge opportunities to meet that demand and help our economic recovery.”

Bpex chairman Stewart Houston said: “This is a wonderful achievement and something we have been working towards for several years in close co-operation with Defra and the British embassy in Beijing.

“The process has been a long one, but I know it will prove to be extremely worthwhile.

“Pork is the most popular meat in China and some of the cuts which are less popular here command a premium over there.”

The first consignment of British pork is ready to be dispatched by Tulip, the UK’s biggest producer.

Andrew Saunders, Tulip’s director of agriculture, said: “The news of the clearance to supply British pig meat into China is the culmination of many months of hard work by the team at Defra, Bpex and the National Pig Association, which have played a vital role in securing this export business opportunity by working in conjunction with the pig meat processing industry and UK pig farmers.

“The commitment by China to use British pig meat is a true testament to the quality and standards in place across the UK pig industry and provides us with an exciting opportunity to enter a developing market.”
Laurent Vernet, head of marketing for Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) said: “We are delighted with the progress being made. The Chinese are major consumers of pork, including fifth quarter products for which there is limited demand from the home market.

“This will be a useful opportunity for the Scottish pig industry in terms of fully utilising every part of the carcass, reducing waste and optimising returns.

“It will also be helpful in terms of getting a foot in the door for other species. Negotiations with China are likely to be lengthy and while the progress is a positive step it is important to be realistic about expectations at this stage.”

Defra is looking to use the experience of developing this trade deal to open up markets for other British products and services, which it says is vital in the future work of the food exports action plan.

In November 2010, Business Secretary Vince Cable signed a formal agreement on health certificates for exports of pig meat with the Chinese authorities. Since then, five plants have been inspected and approved for export, including Tulip and Cranswick’s Preston plant.

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Sausage-makers up and down the country are being urged to start preparing early for the week-long celebration of one the UK’s best-loved national dishes.

British Sausage week, which is organised by Bpex and the British Sausage Appreciation Society, will run from 5-11 November 2012 to make the most of Bonfire Night celebrations and the start of the long wintry nights.

The week marks a great opportunity for any business involved in the manufacture, supply and sale of sausages, either in the retail or catering sector, to boost sales and maximise the marketing benefits. Last year’s campaign, which was fronted by legendary rocker and Slade frontman Noddy Holder, resulted in more than £15.5m worth of media coverage and drove up volume sales of sausages by 15% (compared with the previous four weekly average), or an additional 586 tonnes of sausages sold, at aound £2m in value.

British Sausage Week campaign manager Tina Mulholland said: “With the date firmly set, it’s worth thinking about the many ways to get involved and maximise the benefits to your business.”

“We’re already planning a host of activity to make sure that British Sausage Week generates widespread media coverage – and the scope for businesses and catering outlets to promote their own range of quality-assured sausages, including Red Tractor, during the Week is immense.”

Activity updates and regular announcements will be made over the coming months, with more information available from www.lovepork.co.uk, www.porkforcaterers.com  and www.porkforbutchers.bpex.org.uk

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British Sausage Week (BSW) generated £15.5m worth of total media coverage, up from the annual five year average of £11.4m, with increased sales of sausages of around £2m, according to organisers Bpex.

The week generated around 700 individual pieces of media coverage, primarily broadcast coverage, including 15 TV features and 249 radio mentions, and trending on Twitter mid-way through the week. Some of the high-profile coverage during the week included a nine-minute segment on ITV’s This Morning; a mention on the Archers; repeated references on Chris Evan’s Radio2 breakfast show during the week; a segment on Alan Titchmarsh’s Show on BBC1; spokesman Noddy Holder’s appearing in a lunchtime broadcast of Loose Women; and national press coverage of the Sausage Walk of Fame photo at Smithfield Market.

Bpex said the week has grown beyond a consumer PR campaign, with sales increasing by 15% during the week compared to the previous four weekly average, equating to an additional 586 tonnes of sausages sold, or just over £2m in value. This was a rise of 7% from BSW last week.

Trade competition entries were up from 190 last year to 247, after Bpex’s early promotion of the week within the independent sector. It also succeeded in bringing all the major multiple retailers on board, with Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrison, Waitrose, M&S and Aldi all participating in some way.

Competitions included ‘Legendary British Bangers’ , which was open to butchers, farm shops, sausage brands and multiple retailers and the catering trade’s own dedicated ‘Bpex Foodservice Pork Sausage of the Year Competition’.

Social media hits increased by 37.9%m with over 50,000 facebook fans in the week ending 6 November. However, Bpex noted that a significant proportion of this traffic would have been driven by the lovepork.co.uk marketing and Pork Promise advertising in October.

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A new website has been launched to help small independent butchers generate extra business and attract online customers.

Mylocalbutcher.co.uk is a new web portal set up to allow butchers to join and start marketing products online without incurring the set-up costs involved in building and marketing their own website. Customers can search for a local butcher’s shop by postcode and place orders directly online. The order alert is relayed back to the butcher by text message, with full order details and confirmation of payment confirmed by email.

The site’s developer, Andrew Woodall, said: “It’s about providing one central database marketing across the whole of the UK to drive new traffic to all butchers’ shops.”

He hopes to recruit more butchers to ensure good national coverage and said that the website, which went live last week, would give them with the opportunity to compete with supermarkets by providing customers with a convenient way to order online. Orders could either be delivered locally or be ready at a specified time for customer to collect, depending on the butchers’ preferences. A 10% commission is charged on orders, with customers paying the website up front.

The website has been supported by the National Federation of Meat and Food Traders (NFMFT). Chief executive officer Roger Kelsey said: “The website provides opportunities for independent butchers and a possible way for them to expand their customer base through online activity without the expense of setting up their own website and payment gateways.”

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Reports in the Daily Mail claimed a recent jump in beef mince prices by up to 25% was pushing family favourites, such as spaghetti bolognese, off the menu.

The paper said mince, which had now broken the £1 barrier for a pack in retailers including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons, was now proving too expensive for families.

According to figures from the Grocer magazine Sainsbury’s has increased the price of a 400g pack of basics mince by 25%, to £1.20, Tesco has pushed up the price of a 500g pack of its own label value mince by 25%, to £1.50, and Morrisons has also increased on an 800g pack of its budget mince, by 24.5%, to £2.39.

However, recent data from Kantar Worldpanel flies in the face of claims consumer demand has dampened, with beef mince volumes up 2.4% in most recent 52 weeks data.

Peter Hardwick, head of trade development for Eblex, said: “The picture painted here doesn’t tally with out own data or the research we have done on the price elasticity of mince.

“Latest Kantar Worldpanel data for the 52 weeks to August 7 shows that overall beef mince sales are up 2.4%. Most of the major multiples have seen a rise in sales of beef mince, with Waitrose up 18.8%. If you just look at the four weeks to August 7, there has been a 0.6% rise in mince sales, with Waitrose up 38.4% and Sainsbury’s 5.4%. In the 12 weeks to August 7, GB beef mince sales are up 8.7%, and up 2.4% in the four-week analysis to August 7.

“Our own modelling shows that of all beef products, demand for mince is most resistant to price change. It is a staple of many recipes and still remains relatively cheap. Any upward change in price being seen on the shelves of the major multiples is just a reflection of market forces in terms of rising costs of production and relative availability. It is fair to say that most meat proteins are seeing a general upward trend in price so beef mince remains an attractive purchase relative to other meats.

“The other way of looking at this is what the price increases quoted might looks like per portion – possibly not more than about 5p – so perhaps not enough to significantly hit sales.”

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Three-quarters of consumers are willing to pay a few pence more for a pack of pork, bacon, sausages or ham if it comes from pigs produced to higher welfare standards, according to new research.

Pig producers have been pleading with supermarkets to pay a fair price for their pigs for over six months now. Soaring wheat prices mean the cost of production is at 164p/kg. Meanwhile the DAPP — the price paid to pig farmers for their produce — stands at 146p/kg.
The research, carried out recently by the National Pig Association (NPA), showed that public opinion is even more solidly behind farmers than it was in 2007 — the last time the industry was in crisis — with more consumers saying they are prepared to pay more for higher-welfare products.
The consumer research also showed that the high standards of animal welfare in British pig farming, when compared to other countries across Europe, is something to be proud of as a nation. Eighty-one per cent of consumers said they were proud of British pig farming and its high welfare standards.
The research findings coincide with the latest Bpex report, which states that British consumers
are buying more pork and pork products. Volume sales of pork have increased over the past few years. Consumers have recognised pork’s value-for-money and appreciated its taste and versatility.
The report states that some of this growth, however, has come at the expense of high-welfare, quality-assured pork, such as that produced to Red Tractor standards, as some retailers have sucked in cheaper imports produced to lower welfare standards, much of which would be illegal to produce in the UK.
NPA chairman Stewart Houston said: “Volume sales of pork have increased over the past few years. Consumers are buying more pork, bacon, ham and sausages. Now, consumers are telling us that they support British pig farming and they are prepared to pay a bit more for their pork. It is time for retailers to address the issue before it is too late: increase the DAPP and put more money in the supply chain.

“If this doesn’t happen soon, the industry will be plunged into deeper crisis and there will be no high-welfare, quality-assured pork available.”

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Sainsbury’s has reinforced its support of beleaguered British pig farmers by increasing the amount paid to the pork development group farms that supply all its fresh British pork.

With the papers reporting another two week heatwave on its way, the rush for burger machines and sausage fillers has started.

With the last months good weather we saw sales of burger presses, auto burger machines and sausage fillers increase dramatically from the same period last year.

Make sure you are ready for the next period of hot weather and purchase your machines now before the rush!!