FOOD MATTERS

摘要

Compounders have an obvious interest in food and, in particular, in livestock products and developments in the markets for these products, either at home or abroad will be of immediate concern. Sterling's appreciation between 1996 and 2007 has had a clear effect upon the competitiveness of UK exports of livestock products with the negative trade balance increasing steadily over recent years as the strong pound has sucked in imports and discouraged exports. There are some indications, however, that sterling's collapse in 2008 is beginning to exert a benign influence on UK livestock product exports to the potential benefit of livestock farmers and their suppliers, including feed manufacturers. At home, the prices paid to farmers will be reflected in their ability to pay suppliers a fair price for their inputs. For the moment, it looks as if competition in the retail sector has kept the supermarkets' share of the final price at reasonable levels; look for them trying to recover lost margin in 2009. Roger Dean has been reducing mountains of data to manageable proportions.