Shoppers seem to be turning their backs on plant based food

The annual push by vegans to capitalise on the overindulgence at Christmas by having a meat free January crashed this year. Veganuary as it is ridiculously known, saw a huge slump in sales of plant-based products as over a million people turned their backs on the highly processed and expensive meat alternatives.

Despite new product development and huge sums spent on marketing and heavy promotion by retailers, AHDB the levy body’s figures show that more than a million fewer households bought vegan compared to 2022.

The retailer’s body the IGD agrees and suggests that seven per cent of shoppers started taking part in the veganuary mission, but was short lived with seven out of 10 failing to make it past the middle of the month. 40 per cent of those who stopped said it was too expensive whilst a further 40 per cent said they could not find food or drink that they enjoyed. AHDB said that the figures show that despite new product development, taste and price are still major barriers.

Phil Stocker from the National Sheep Association commented that the data exposed the fact that meat free meals are somewhat uninspiring and expensive compared to cooking and eating unprocessed natural ingredients such as fresh meat and vegetables.

There now seems little doubt that with only two per cent of the market, meat free sales are at best static and with the cost of food rising across the board and the push to eat less highly processed food, consumers prefer to pay less for the real thing.

A peer reviewed study in the magazine Nature predicts that global antibiotic use in farmed animals is expected to grow by eight per cent between 2020 and 2030.

The UK however bucks this trend with our unique voluntary approach under the leadership of RUMA (responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture), accepting the government’s target to reduce antibiotic use by 25 per cent between 2016 and 2020; which we surpassed. We then went on to reduce usage by 55 per cent since 2014 and it is still falling.

Most countries do not collect such data and are unable to monitor, never mind reduce usage. Others do not release the data they have. China for example, highlighted in the research as using more antibiotics than any other country worldwide, does not produce any figures. The report’s co-author Thomas Van Boeckel admitted that researchers have struggled to calculate the use of antibiotics in many countries as 40 per cent of countries do not report any use at all.

Australia is projected to increase its use by 16 per cent between 2020 and 2030, Brazil by 13 per cent closely followed by Thailand at 12 per cent.

Meanwhile our government has been striking deals across the globe in desperation after the Brexit fiasco and our own farmers likely to be disadvantaged as we bring in cheaper products which have been produced under very different systems and usage.

In the UK we now have the lowest antibiotic sales data for farm animals ever and it has been achieved through the farmer vet partnership which is now a proven model for others.

There is widespread dismay as Aldi backtracks on British lamb, dropping its pledge to stock 100 per cent British lamb in its stores. Aldi has always been praised for its support for British farmers, but is now switching to stocking New Zealand lamb which raises the question over the strength of supermarkets commitment to British produce as they look to keep prices low for cash-strapped consumers. Lamb prices are very low as a result of more New Zealand lamb being imported and Aldi has had to respond to that I suspect.

British lamb is a high quality and high welfare product and the stark reality is that you cannot have that and expect us to compete with other countries which produce to different standards.

Minette Batters NFU President commented that many shoppers will be disappointed that local, climate friendly lamb will be replaced by a product with significant food miles. She added that British food is some of the best in the world and it is important our retailers recognise this; especially in times of challenge.

Pig farmers are edging closer to profit as European pork prices drive the market. Finished pig prices on the continent, led by the German market, is feeding through to higher prices here which gives hope to pig producers after a gruelling couple of years.

Beef prices are also high due to lower number of cattle around the world and again high prices in Ireland (our greatest importer by far) are driving prices here.

Milk prices however are going south at an alarming rate, but commentators in the industry are saying that it is meant as a clear signal to dairy farmers to cut production. Dairy production is up and demand is down which means only one thing; lower prices.

Industry leaders in Scotland cited a pitiful policy announcement from rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon at the Annual NFU Scotland Conference.

Farmers will hold back on investment as a result of frustration over the lack of detail from their government on future farm policy, where an opportunity to provide clarity on their post Brexit payment system has been missed.

There will most likely be more delays now in the aftermath of Nicola Sturgeon’s sudden departure as First Minister and the party spends several weeks sorting itself out having been left with no succession plan and no warning of her departure. Stepping down after eight years and citing British politics as brutal, there has been plenty of speculation over why the sudden departure. Sturgeon is no shrinking violet and can be as aggressive and brutal as the next politician and the claims that the tank is empty does not wash any more than it did with Jacinda Arden.

There are similarities here and there are those in Scotland who have said for some time, that whatever Arden does, Sturgeon does three weeks later! I don’t believe that as Sturgeon knows her own mind and is fiercely independent (no pun intended); a formidable politician who has frightened the pants off a series of lacklustre Prime Ministers. However she and Arden have enjoyed incredible highs but both had made some big mistakes of late and losing support not only within their own supporters, but within their party.

Nicola Sturgeon has had a very messy time of late with the botched court case of her past mentor Alex Salmon and the power struggles which followed; the gender reforms bill and there are some investigations pending over party funds. A marmite figure, Nicola has devoted followers, and those who are very pleased to see her go; it will be a tough act to follow, but there are impressive contenders lining up to do the job.

In the meantime Keir Starmer is clearing out the left from the Labour Party preparing the ground for the election next year. Meantime Rishi Sunak is trying to please Brussels, the DUP in Northern Ireland and the Brexiteers on his back-benches. What a challenge, but if he can succeed where his predecessors all failed, that would be a huge achievement paving the way to greater things. He is not short of challenges, with many on his own tribal backbenches!