Industry should be prepared for a ‘massive global financial crash’, says Gira Meat Director Rupert Claxton, who does not expect poultry, beef, and pork markets to be back at pre-COVID levels by next year.
COVID-19 has completely disrupted the meat industry, changing how meatpackers work, the way poultry, beef and pork is produced, how it is purchased by consumers and traded between countries.
In the short term, the pandemic has seen retailers struggle to meet increased demand for meat, foodservice grind to a halt, and outbreaks in processing plants cause labour shortages. But what does COVID-19 mean for Europe’s meat sector in the long term?According to Rupert Claxton, Meat Director at consultancy and market research firm Gira, the sector is far from immune from the impending global recession.At this year’s Belgian meat Office’s Round Table, held virtually last week, Claxton told delegates he is particularly worried about the economic impact of COVID-19, which will be felt well into 2021.According to Gira, foodservice in the US is down -27% in 2020 compared to 2019 figures. The market research firm predicts the sector to be down -10% in 2021, again, compared to 2019.In China, the story is more positive, with food service -24% this year, and predicted to be up 5% compared to 2019 figures by 2021.In Europre, foodservice is down a whopping -33% this year, with predictions for 2021 sitting at -14%. “We have a reduced market as a result of the pandemic”, said Claxton.
https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2020/08/31/Gira-meat-analyst-concerned-for-poultry-beef-and-pork-markets-in-Europe
