According to the UK National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), GDP growth in the economy grew by 0.5 per cent for the latest 3 month period ending the 5 September. Both beef and pork sales outperformed GDP, expanding by 1.4 per cent and 3.1 per cent to £364 million and £186 million, respectively.

For the four week period ending the 5 September, Kantar figures show that beef and pork sales grew by 4.5 per cent and 6 per cent to £127 million and £63 million, respectively.

Pork sales have grown on the back of a surge in demand coupled with a fall in average prices. Demand for pork roasting joints almost doubled, with strong demand also evident for steaks and pork belly. The value of beef sales has been helped by a more than 3 per cent increase in price to £6.26/kg while volumes were more than 1 per cent higher. Most of the increase in beef sales was due to growth in sales of lower value cuts such as stewing and mince cuts.