Abattoirs seek uniform cattle supply to meet retailer needs

摘要

The key attribute both retailers and abattoirs are looking for in livestock is size consistency, according to processor ABP. The firm processes about 600,000 cattle and more than one million sheep in the UK each year. Joe Murphy, general manager at ABP Ellesmere, says retailer demands dictate the target grades and weight at abattoirs. Retailers are looking for standardisation between cuts so that products fit the packaging well. Most of the meat from Ellesmere goes to Sainsbury's, with a smaller percentage sold to Aldi and Tesco. The cost-of-living crisis is encouraging a shift towards lower-value cuts and mince,according to ABP. Steve Thompson, the firm's business unit director, says: "As consumers change their buying habits to lower-value cuts, carcass balance does come into play, with demand falling for higher values. It is something we will be keeping a close eye on in the coming months."