Liz Truss outlines details of beef trade plans

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While the supermarket giant did keep to their commitment for three months, they will now supplement their beef supplies with produce from the Republic of Ireland. The move has sparked outrage from British farmers, with NFU livestock board chairman Richard Findlay saying the decision was “incredibly disappointing.”

The commitment was initially made after Asda, the UK’s third largest supermarket chain, was criticised by farmers for importing tonnes of Polish beef in 2020.

Asda said they have gone back on their commitment as a result of rising British beef prices.

A spokesperson said: “Whilst we continue to work hard to keep prices as low as possible for our customers, these increases are significant.”

They added to Express.co.uk that the decision is a move back to where they were prior to the last 3 months of 2021.

This means that while all fresh beef in Asda’s premium Extra Special tier will remain 100% British, their supplies for other ranges will be supplemented by beef from Ireland.

Mr Findlay said: “Retail support plays a big part in enabling farmers to make further investments in climate and environmentally-friendly food production.

“It is more important than ever that our retailers champion British food and farming and that, fundamentally, any sourcing commitments they make are honoured.”

This comes after food and rural affairs secretary George Eustice told the Oxford Farming Conference yesterday that farmers must “stand their ground” on price inflation.

He said farmers should make sure that the rising costs are reflected in the prices paid to them by supermarkets.

However, farmers were sceptical of his statements, with the UK chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network Martin Lines saying to the Guardian: “It’s very difficult for individual farmers to stand their ground against price pressures from retailers who hold all the bargaining power.”

Asda’s decision seems to reflect the difficulty facing British farmers in this regard.

According to the Irish Examiner, beef from the Republic of Ireland is around 20 percent less expensive than British beef.

The Irish Food Board states that Ireland accounted for almost 80 percent of UK beef imports in 2020.

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Meanwhile, the British Meat Processors Association state that nearly half of all meat imports to the UK are made up of beef.

National Beef Association (NBA) chairman Neil Shand said to the BBC that he was “deeply disappointed” by Asda’s decision.

The NBA added that farmers are struggling with escalating feed, fertilizer and energy costs.

Supermarkets such as Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons and the Co-operative also have commitments to source 100% British beef.

Asda initially made their commitment after being bought by entrepreneurs from Blackburn the Issa brothers.

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