Global beef consumption is expected to increase by 1.4% % year-on-year up to 2030. This is according to Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) chief executive, Ian Stevenson. He was commenting after attending the first of the Andersons Centre Spring Seminar in London. The Andersons Centre event addressed the opportunities and threats confronting agri-food, both in the long and short-term.
Stevenson claims that “livestock farmers throughout the UK know full well just how important the basic payment is to the overall profitability of their businesses. However, we have now a scenario unfolding, which will see beef and sheep farmers losing their basic payment completely in England.” He adds that the basic direction of travel in Northern Ireland (NI), is the right one as opportunity to expand export of red meat there will develop over the coming years.
Stevenson says that the Environmental Land Management Scheme and Sustainable Farming Incentive will come nowhere near replacing the lost income from basic payment support (BPS). “While the longer term outlook for beef consumption and sheep in NI is positive, there are some very real challenges coming down the track” states Stevenson.
Meanwhile Northern Ireland is looking to retain a ‘de facto’ basic income support payment beyond 2023, in the form of a proposed area-based resilience measure. This is expected to give a significant level of support to local beef and sheep farmers into the future.