Why do we import Bacon

borderterribles · Aug 7, 2019

We produce dry cure Bacon and other Pork products and sell direct to consumers via regular Farmers Markets. Until recently when we changed slaughterers, the lorry which delivered our pigs back also had foreign Pork on board, Belgian, Spanish and Polish, all on its way to our direct competitors. I didn't enquire with that company about the price of the imported meat, but have to assume that it is sufficiently cheaper than UK produced Pork.
We are currently running at approximately 80% repeat business on the Bacon, which I am happy with. I accept that ours isn't the cheapest, but that isn't the market that I'm after. The sad truth of it is that, by and large, the majority of UK consumers are pretty undiscerning about the quality and provenance of what they put in their mouths, and many of the major food retailers in this country exploit that fact relentlessly. Bring on Brexit, I say. Well, someone had to mention it!
If anyone would like some of our top quality Dry cure Bacon, then please PM me on here. TFF discounts available.

JCMaloney · Aug 7, 2019

Profit margin & price would be my answer.

Having said that I prefer buying a decent fat loin of pork from the local butcher and curing my own.
The "liquid froth that changes colour to make it look well done" from supermarket stuff puts me right off.

Whitepeak · Aug 7, 2019

I'm sure I was told at uni that if the UK was to become self sufficient in bacon, there would be a massive over supply of the other cuts like shoulder and offal which the UK currently doesn't have a market for.
Guess the same is for chicken, it'll mainly be breast meat that we import I guess as very few consumers choose thighs, legs, wings etc.

Suffolk Serf · Aug 7, 2019

Apparently it’s all to do with carcass balance.
In the UK we have demand for loins at several times what we produce and the opposite with bellies, an exportable surplus.
I’m told that this is why we need to have a good trade deal with Europe.
However, people forget that in the good old days of the butchers shop the butchers had to buy and therefore sell profitably the whole carcass, hence why they would advise Mrs Miggins on a Friday to have a lovely bit of pork belly, rolled and stuffed etc.
It is just lazy marketing by the big retailers that has got us into this carcass imbalance situation.

Clive · Aug 7, 2019

czechmate said:
Is it thousands of miles to Denmark?

And for clarity, do you also include the export of lamb and cereal for example Clive?

doesn't matter if thousands or hundreds - if we are going to start taking environment seriously nothing should be moved further than needed

and yes I include cereals in that statement - the only reason to import of export anything should be if "local" alternative is unavailable - the taxation system on imports and exports should be fluid to reflect / enforce this and stop prices rising too far as supply runs out locally

big action but the environment is a BIG problem

Steevo · Aug 7, 2019

Whitepeak said:
I'm sure I was told at uni that if the UK was to become self sufficient in bacon, there would be a massive over supply of the other cuts like shoulder and offal which the UK currently doesn't have a market for.
Guess the same is for chicken, it'll mainly be breast meat that we import I guess as very few consumers choose thighs, legs, wings etc.

Suffolk Serf said:
Apparently it’s all to do with carcass balance.
In the UK we have demand for loins at several times what we produce and the opposite with bellies, an exportable surplus.
I’m told that this is why we need to have a good trade deal with Europe.
However, people forget that in the good old days of the butchers shop the butchers had to buy and therefore sell profitably the whole carcass, hence why they would advise Mrs Miggins on a Friday to have a lovely bit of pork belly, rolled and stuffed etc.
It is just lazy marketing by the big retailers that has got us into this carcass imbalance situation.

How do the Danes etc manage with carcase balance?

Certainly they export trotters to China etc. for premium money.

bluebell · Aug 7, 2019

i can answer my own question, since ive been farming, its got less profit for what you have todo, combined with it being harder with all the rules and regulations, alot of the land and farms where i am have packed up either for ever, houses built on, trousered millions ? or let out buildings for industry offices etc, agro yes ? but more profit with less risk?

Suffolk Serf · Aug 7, 2019

Steevo said:
How do the Danes etc manage with carcase balance?

Certainly they export trotters to China etc. for premium money.

That's how they started exporting to the UK many years ago, loins were surplus to their consumption.
And yes, the UK too is exporting "fifth quarter" to China, unfortunately, to meet China's requirements abattoirs that export to China must be single species, locally one medium sized plant has sadly stopped doing sheep and cattle for that reason.

czechmate · Aug 7, 2019

Clive said:
doesn't matter if thousands or hundreds - if we are going to start taking environment seriously nothing should be moved further than needed

and yes I include cereals in that statement - the only reason to import of export anything should be if "local" alternative is unavailable - the taxation system on imports and exports should be fluid to reflect / enforce this and stop prices rising too far as supply runs out locally

big action but the environment is a BIG problem

Yes, it’s a strange old world but you come over, by and large, as embracing “progress”
I don’t see how you can eat your cake and still have it?

Northeastfarmer · Aug 7, 2019

The fact this country isn’t self sufficient is an utter joke

Steevo · Aug 7, 2019

Northeastfarmer said:
The fact this country isn’t self sufficient is an utter joke

This just encouraged me to do a Google search on which countries are. There seems quite a bit of debate on this and few articles seem to agree on specific countries, but here is a Wikipedia page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_food_self-sufficiency_rate

Acccording to this article https://www.nationalgeographic.com/.../2014/04/13/is-your-country-food-independent/ France is the only European country to be so.

Steevo · Aug 7, 2019

@Chris F - Is there a reason I can't put a URL in brackets? I just tried the above URL and was told "Please enter a valid message".

robs1 · Aug 7, 2019

milkloss said:
Shooting season and skiing?

Yes, exchange rate has put an end to them wanting to work in the UK.

Except there was 50,000 more in 2018 than 2017, that's net migration, so plenty still coming

Lowland1 · Aug 7, 2019

Why is it not o.k to import bacon but it is o.k to import all our farm machinery and I ask this as a pig farmer

yellowfrog · Aug 7, 2019

whats all that white scummy sh*t that comes out of supermarket bacon when you fry it

Steevo · Aug 7, 2019

yellowfrog said:
whats all that white scummy sh*t that comes out of supermarket bacon when you fry it

Water

Suffolk Serf · Aug 7, 2019

yellowfrog said:
whats all that white scummy sh*t that comes out of supermarket bacon when you fry it

That doesn't happen if you buy dry cured bacon. Might be more expensive but tastes much better and doesn't shrink, so much better value. And almost always from British pork.

Clive · Aug 7, 2019

glensman said:
You didn't think that one through.

oh i did - as I say I don't think we should import / export cereals either unless local / domestic is not available

we are screwing up this planet rather nicely with this nonsense

Maybe it would be a good lesson in producing goods / food etc for available markets vs just producing regardless

simple way to do this is put Huge tax on fuel for shipping and airfreight etc

Clive · Aug 7, 2019

Lowland1 said:
Why is it not o.k to import bacon but it is o.k to import all our farm machinery and I ask this as a pig farmer

its not - we should be far more self sufficient in machinery as well - this issue is much bigger than agriculture if you consider the environment

Princess Pooper · Aug 7, 2019

I think it is partly a question of carcass balance, as well as years of supermarkets putting UK pig farms out of business. About 50% of supermarket bacon is British, but I suspect in the catering sector it is lower. For fresh supermarket pork the percentage is in the mid 80's and for sausages the high 70's. https://pork.ahdb.org.uk/media/277405/britishrtjuly2019.pdf

Why do we import Bacon

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100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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