Questions remain over the short-term demand for all meats as Covid-19 restrictions on lockdown are eased and the food service industry slowly re-opens adding competition for all types of meat.
According to Stuart Ashworth, of Quality Meat Scotland, the opening of food service sector could reduce supermarket requirements as people revert to old behaviours.
Furthermore, he said increased opportunities to spend money on recreational pursuits, along with potential growth in unemployment and reduced incomes, could bring new challenges.
Add to that a more complicated holiday season – historically when sales of fresh and chilled beef hit an annual low – and an Irish processing sector that has returned to full capacity after a sharp reduction in slaughter, and there are more questions than answers.
Mr Ashworth said that this year’s holiday period will be far from normal.“Statistics from the UK Office of National Statistics show that in 2019 there were some 60m overseas holidays by UK residents but only 17m trips into the UK. If overseas trips are curtailed, then despite a reduction in foreign visitors, demand for red meat should remain firm,” he said.
Supplies of Scottish beef should in fact remain tight throughout 2020 when the number of one to two-year-old male cattle in the Scottish December census showed a decline of 5%, while heifers fell 1% leading to an inevitable reduction throughout the year.
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