The UK faces ongoing meat supply challenges, particularly in beef and lamb, due to reduced domestic production from lower cattle/sheep numbers and high input costs (feed, energy, labour), leading to higher retail prices and increased reliance on imports, with ongoing concerns about skilled labour shortages in processing and potential food security risks from illegal meat imports, as highlighted by recent industry reports.
International supply constraints: global beef prices have been pushed up by droughts in the US and disease amongst Mexican beef cattle. Domestic production decline: in the UK, farmers have faced significantly higher feed and energy costs (following the war in Ukraine) and rising wage bills.
Food security, even in the UK, is more fragile than it might seem. Our shelves look full until suddenly they do not. A combination of climate-driven harvest failures, rising energy prices and trade disruptions could create national shortages or unaffordable prices much more quickly than many people may expect.
More than one in five Brits are eating less meat than they were a year ago, and two-thirds are open to reducing their consumption. Beans could be a winner here. Despite the rise in meat-eating among Gen Z men, public willingness to cut back on animal proteins is growing in the UK, a new survey has found.
The UK is around 91% self-sufficient in dairy production4 and 86% self-sufficient in beef production5. When it comes to lamb, we are 109% self-sufficient6. Although we have seasonal production we export our surplus lamb throughout the year but have also traditionally imported lamb leading up to Easter.
While chicken is the largest contributor to daily meat intake by volume and beef mince is a top-selling product, beef often tops polls for the most popular choice, especially for traditional meals like the Sunday roast, though pork (sausages, bacon) remains a strong family favourite. Trends show high consumption of white meat (chicken/turkey) and processed meats, but beef's versatility in dishes like Bolognese keeps it popular.
A UK food stockpile focuses on non-perishable staples like tinned beans, fish (tuna, sardines), meat (spam, corned beef), and pulses (lentils, chickpeas) for protein; rice, pasta, oats, flour, sugar, oil, and UHT milk for carbs/fats; plus tea, coffee, stock cubes, spices, tinned tomatoes, peanut butter, biscuits, and long-life juice for morale and flavor, adding essentials like water, a tin opener, candles, and toiletries for comprehensive preparedness.
Countries/territories with the largest numbers and shares of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Afghanistan, the Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen were among the countries with both the highest number and share of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
"The concern is that the US [beef imports] could be of lower quality." The UK stopped allowing hormone-produced beef in 1989, when the practice was banned across the EU after it declared it unsafe. But many American farmers use growth hormones as a standard part of their beef production.
While the common term for many cows is a herd, a specific and fun collective noun for 12 or more cows is a flink, with other terms like drove, drift, or mob (especially in Australia) also used, and Highland cattle sometimes called a fold.
Why are experts getting worried about the UK being able to feed itself?
As an island nation with a growing population, we rely heavily on imports to keep the country fed. About half the vegetables we eat are grown elsewhere, and home-grown fruit is even rarer, accounting for only 20% of our total fruit consumption.
But today, is she still vegan? The answer is no. In 2020, Beyoncé had to soften her vegan diet and added fish and Omega3 to her diet because she said her brain was malfunctioning.
And Lizzo—who has documented her weight-loss journey on TikTok as well—explained that listening to her body has improved her health. “After tests and research,” she continued, “I found that animal proteins helped me have more energy, lose weight and helped with my mental fog.”
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world (36%) followed by poultry (33%), beef (24%), and goats/sheep (5%).
India. Throughout the whole country the people do not kill any living creature, nor drink intoxicating liquor, nor eat onions or garlic. The only exception is that of the Chandalas.
India. According to the World Atlas, India has the highest rate of vegetarians in the world, with 38% of its population identifying as vegetarians. India also has one of the lowest meat consumption rates in the world. 18% are selective meat eaters, 9% are vegan, and 8% are pescatarian.
Pork, the meat from hogs, or domestic swine, is the most consumed animal in the world at 36% (Source: UN-FAO). Pork is commonly thought of as white meat, but it is actually classified as red meat by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Japan is an Asian economic powerhouse and a country renowned for its high-quality beef. In 2021, Japan exported 4,388 tons of beef worth $491 million, making it the most valuable per kilogram. Some of the most well-known beef varieties in the world are from Japan, including the Kobe and Wagyu beef families.
Beef market in the U.S. As the following chart shows, Brazil is expected to retain its role as the world's biggest exporter of beef in 2025, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Forecasts as of April predict that the country will export 3.75 million tons of beef this year.
