The temperate UK climate is well suited to pastoral farming and it is initially of some suprise that the livestock sector is not a significant exporter of livestock products. However, BSE, swine fever and foot and mouth disease have all taken their toll knocking overseas markets and simultaneously landing UK producers with new welfare costs and regulations.
Beef
production which has struggled to recover from the aftermath of BSE,
was hit again in 2001 by foot and mouth disease. Generally, a declining
beef and dairy herd coupled with a move to less intensive production
systems have reduced overall output.
Pig
meat production has continued to decline with low prices and costly
restrictions forcing the industry into loss. Overall output has fallen
by around 50% since 1996 and self sufficiency in 2001 was close to 70%.
Self
sufficiency in ham and bacon has continued to decline with figures for
2002 predicted to be worse again. UK competitiveness suffers from the
costs of maintaining higher welfare standards than other producing countries.
The result is a gradual exporting of the industry.
Despite
the favourable climatic conditions for sheep meat production in the
UK, self sufficency is only just achieved.
For
many centuries wool was the UK's most important export and
through the cloth trade led to the development of many of the nation's
industrial towns. Today the UK remains an important producer (7th largest
in the world) exporting around one third of the annual 60,000 tonne
clip. However, with wool prices at about 50 pence per kilogram the value
of the raw wool that is exported is little more than £10 million.
In
2001 the volume of poultry meat production rose for the first time since
1988 and imports fell although the UK remains a net importer (mostly
from EU countries).
Around
30 million egss are produced each day in the UK, a number that has remained
relatively constant over much of the past decade. Self sufficiency is
around 95% although a small rise in imports from the EU has recently
lowered UK production as a % of total supply.
The
volume of milk produced in the UK remains fairly stable at around 14
billion litres per annum with roughly half of this being for liquid
consumption. UK produced milk is nearly always sufficient to meet liquid
milk demand.
Domestic
butter production falls well short of self sufficiency with New Zealand
and Irish butters meeting a significant part of demand.
UK
production of cheese as a percentage of total supply is less than 70%
with EU supplies accounting for much of the balance.
UK
production of cheese as a percentage of total supply is less than 70%
with EU supplies accounting for much of the balance.
The
UK is now less dependant upon agriculture as a % of GDP than any other
major nation, a statistic reflected in its inability to feed itself.
Self sufficiency in indiginous feeds is less than 80% and for all foods
nears 60%. As yet, the decline in overall self sufficiency is not seen
as an issue of strategic concern by UK policy makers.
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