The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Time of opportunity and big challenges
PROCESSORS: Growth potential for Scottish meat, but Covid costs are high
Scotland’s red meat processors are looking for advantageous new trade agreements and a business-friendly Brexit deal to capitalise on the progress exporters have made in recent years.
The abattoirs have demonstrated their resilience over the last 20 weeks, but Martin Morgan, executive manager of the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers, admits it is challenging for member businesses to find upsides from the current situation given the time, effort and costs resulting from Covid-19.
He said: “The biggest plus, obviously, is that as food suppliers we have a vital role in helping to keep the nation fed and a clear market demand to fill.
“The fact that the Scottish meat industry entered this period with highlevel product provenance already in place is also a bonus.
“Red meat buyers, both domestic and export, respected the Scottish brand long before Covid-19 emerged, and our industry’s implementation of extensive pandemic protections can only further enhance the status of our industry.”
Mr Morgan acknowledged recent export gains to Japan and Canada, alongside long-established sales into Europe and rising US prospects, are also giving the Scottish brand huge growth potential.
“This is especially the case with the pandemic leading many consumers to think again about lifestyle and food choices, especially meat provenance,” he said.
However, the red meat industry has been dominated in recent months by reductions in plant throughput, significant levels of extra investments in worker protection and training, and the exclusion of all but essential visitors from entering plants.
“This is the pandemic-driven environment in which all food businesses are now operating, and which looks set to continue for the foreseeable future,” Mr Morgan said.
“The need to create good social distancing space on processing lines has forced meat plant operators to reduce production volumes by as much as 30% in some cases.
“Businesses have installed in-plant hand-sanitiser points every 15 metres, alongside fitting additional handwashing facilities. Providing staff with additional visors and masks, over and above the normal PPE used during food production, has also become the new standard.”
He said while the easing of lockdown has restored some freedoms to people, there has been no reduction whatsoever concerning the protection measures required within meat plants.
“If anything, in-plant requirements just keep rising,” he said.
“The 14-day quarantine for people arriving back from Spain, for example, is just the start for meat workers. One plant operator now requires any staff who return from Spain to follow the government-led 14-day quarantine period by then taking a Covid-19 test and self-isolating until the results are known.
“This is adding another week to the process but is necessary to avoid asymptomatic cases slipping through.
“Essential plant visitors, meanwhile, have to pass a temperature test and complete a five-page questionnaire detailing recent activities and contacts before being allowed into the factory.”