The weekly Sunday roast may be under threat this year, as the UK faces a looming chicken crisis and the possibility of more fruit and vegetable shortages, industry experts have warned.
More than 40 per cent of the meat we eat in Britain is chicken – making it the nation’s favourite meat by far. It’s especially popular with families, with a third eating chicken several times a week, but the British Poultry Council warned that rising costs are pushing poultry farms to the brink and many owners are now having to decide between cutting the size of their flocks or not continuing altogether.
Read more: Cadbury's dessert pots sold at supermarkets recalled over food poisoning fears
The increased costs come as the industry is recovering from a mandatory bird flu lockdown since November 2022, which saw farmers taking action to protect their flocks as a third of all free-range Christmas turkeys died. The order to keep all flocks under cover was just lifted last month.
UK supermarkets are also being hit with further fruit and vegetable shortages, following those earlier in the year, as the British growing season began late due to cold weather and a lack of sunlight, while some parts of southern Spain experience unprecedented high temperatures. The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has warned that we may be facing more shortages as Sainsbury’s and Morrisons have already moved to preserve their supplies.
The British Poultry Council told the Mail Online that “without a fair price for product”, the industry is “at breaking point.” The trade group added that the current system is “unsustainable” as “the price consumers pay for food does not reflect the cost of producing it.”
Chief executive Richard Griffiths said: "The drive to keep food affordable under exceptional market conditions where the cost of production is not being returned through the marketplace is rendering poultry meat businesses unviable."
He said that instead of trying to match cost productions with what people can afford, working to ensure everyone can afford food should be the priority. "Access to safe, affordable, nutritious food is always necessary, not just in the face of a cost-of-living crisis, but the focus on keeping prices low in this climate is understandable," he said. "'Things need to change for the sake of British food and farming. The fact that now is the hardest time for Government to confront this problem is exactly why they should.'
Christine McDowell, from the NFU, said a rise in production costs has added to the problem for vegetable and salad growers. "British growers continue to face significant cost increases, such as energy and labour, and many simply can't afford to keep producing food with the current returns," she said.
Now read:
- Northumberland hotel's new menu gets bark of approval from doggy guests
- Deals expert explains best time to look for yellow sticker bargains
- Warning of more toilet roll shortages as new law takes effect
- High court orders Tesco to stop using yellow Clubcard logo in Lidl copycat row
- Tesco to close eight in-store pharmacies by August as part of shake-up
