The Beef Plan Movement has welcomed Bord Bia’s recent acknowledgement of the “lifted prices and demand” for meats in China – including beef – which is impacting global markets positively.
According to a statement from Beef Plan: “From observing world markets, meat is trading at a significantly higher price in all markets that are supplying China except the Republic of Ireland.”
The statement remarked “this is a significant observation in itself”.
Continuing, the statement outlined that entering into 2020, “the Beef Plan Movement is calling on the meat processors in Ireland to stand up to the market and support the primary suppliers with a significant price increase in the next few weeks”.
Bord Bia’s remarks
In a statement to AgriLand, in relation to meat exports to China, Joe Burke, Bord Bia senior manager of meat and livestock, said that the current pork shortage in China has “lifted prices and demand” for other meats – this position is based on information the food board is receiving from its Shanghai-based official.
Official beef imports to China show a 47% increase in 2019 compared to 2018, while wholesale prices are also significantly stronger than earlier in 2019.
“As the USDA [United States Department of Agriculture] figures outline, there will be a deficit of approximately 22 million tonnes in the overall supply of meat in China in 2020, in comparison with the volume that was available in 2017.”