Good news for beef farmers in the UK

According to ABP’s agricultural manager Stuart Roberts, the future for beef in the UK, and most likely the rest of the world, is looking bright. In a recent producer group meeting, Roberts told a collection of farmers that the demand for beef worldwide is still increasing, and the current shortage is unlikely to get worse in the long term future.

There a number of reasons why demand is continuing to grow despite a small shortage last year; one reason being the increased popularity of red meat in the Asian market. Another reason could be that as the new year kicks in, many people are looking to make their diets healthier and ‘beef’ them up, so to speak. Grass fed beef is rising in popularity in the UK because it the healthiest type of beef, and more consumers are recognising this.

Roberts also pointed out that the stable supply of beef right now could be seen as both positive and a negative. Even though the demand is set to be balanced for the next few years, there are other factors, such as environmental uncertainties, that need to be taken into account.

Despite the issues expected this year, online butchers are still going strong and the more health driven consumer might look to these to acquire their grass fed beef. While supermarkets are working hard to catch up by providing new ranges of beef products, online butchers sell specific types and often source their meat from trustworthy sources.