Grocers turning to Australia, Poland and Uruguay for meat, prompting claim they are undermining British farmers
Cheap chicken and beef from Australia, Poland and Uruguay is on the rise on UK supermarket shelves, according to the National Farmers’ Union, as supermarkets look for money-saving options.
The NFU regularly monitors supermarket shelves and notes that Morrisons is now selling raw chicken from Poland in its poultry aisle. Chicken in Poland is generally produced to different standards from those in the UK, and is cheaper as a result. Morrisons requires that for its UK chicken, poultry must be kept at a maximum stocking density of 30kg/m2, giving the chickens more space to roam. In Poland, this is up to 39kg/m2.
The retailer has also begun to sell sirloin steak from Australia, made possible, according to NFU sources, by the unpopular trade deal struck by Liz Truss with Australia. Australian beef, like Polish chicken, is generally produced to different animal welfare and environmental standards than meat in the UK. Feedlots are commonly used and, according to the RSPCA in Australia, the country is ranked D for farm animal welfare compared with B for the UK.
Morrisons sponsors the TV show Clarkson’s Farm and frequently reiterates its commitment to British farmers.
