Recently, I attended the British Cattle Conference - not a normal event for my interests, but one I will look out for in future.

Science, once an absolute expression of fact, appears to have become as open to interpretation as religion. "Lies, damn lies and science" could become the mantra for the 21st century.

I cannot remember trade being so difficult and it is not just here in the UK. Our friends right across Europe are finding that although demand is down, the prices on many items are not softening. In the UK, exchange rates are not in our favour.

Nice to see that, once again, the GM issue is being debated without resorting to hysterical hyperbole and scare tactics. Ah, hang on a minute, I was looking at it from the wrong angle.

The UK is the world's fifth-largest producer of sheep meat behind China, Australia, New Zealand and Iran. It is also the third-largest sheep meat exporter, with export values likely to exceed £350m in 2009.

Perhaps the most important change in international commerce of meat over the past 40 years has been the emergence of Asia and Brazil as major trading blocs.

Another issue of MTJ, another eventful couple of weeks. We have all been left reeling by the latest development in the ongoing meat hygiene charging saga, with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) agreeing to remove subsidies altogether.

Brian Fields of Fields of Anlaby has made the headlines in his area by investing in a set of wheels with a difference.

I am an apprentice butcher at McMaster Home Farm Meats in Whitehead, Northern Ireland. While doing my apprenticeship, I also took part in an NVQ Level 2 in Meat and Poultry Processing, which was run by Scottish Meat Training.

I first worked for a butcher's at 13 and had a Saturday job, delivering parcels of meat around town by bike, as well as cleaning up after the butchers.

The UK is the largest sheep-producing member of the EU and lamb has been a favourite dish for British families since time began.

Another week, another broadside attack on the meat industry's environmental credentials. I'd like to be able to say, "Ho-hum, yet another". But unfortunately, to ignore or downplay the situation is akin to taking up the fiddle while the flames get higher.

UK livestock price trends analysis

As we returned from the Anuga food fair in Cologne, the biggest of its kind in the world, a clear question sprang to mind was it worth the queues, the inflated hotel prices and the stress?

While any research to help ease the suffering of animals is to be welcomed, the recent study by scientists in New Zealand, effectively to decide whether cutting an animal's neck without first stunning causes pain, poses an interesting dilemma.

UK livestock price trends analysis

To the delight of refrigeration suppliers there has been what looks to be a panic attack among engineers and processors in our industry, which will only fuel price increases in R22 refrigerant.

I sometimes struggle to decipher the hundreds of notes that I make each month. My trusty laptop computer also finds it a bit confusing! But it is interesting to reflect on some of the themes that run through most agendas.

Pressure grows on our sector with ongoing calls for people to eat less meat.

UK livestock price trends analysis

I became a butcher because of my family. We have run stall at Neath market since 1928 and I am the fourth generation to take the helm. I've grown up with the shop all my life, but started working there when I left school in 2005.

My introduction to butchery came at the age of 14 by way of a part-time job, followed by an apprenticeship on leaving school.

I take great encouragement from the news coming out of Northern Ireland about the growth in the number of young butchers going into training.

Looking at the news this week, you could be forgiven for thinking we're still at the height of the silly season

As I write this I am dealing with the aftermath of animal rights group Animal Aid's covert filming in three abattoirs and I'm grumpy.

We are seeing a numerous court cases over Legionnaires' disease in our industry, mainly due to a lack of basic checking, and we need to be more proactive, especially in these difficult times.

Countries exporting meats to the EU have a devil of a job keeping up with all the rules and regulations emanating from Brussels.

Ageing meat for a period after slaughter at around 1°C is one of the most effective ways to increase tenderness.

The footage filmed by Animal Aid is arguably another nail in the coffin of any attempt by the meat industry to escape the clutches of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) and saunter off down the path of self-regulation.

Master butcher and manager Martin Blackwell of Blackwell Butchers, Norton, near Stockton-on-Tees, talks about the changes in his shop this year, which has helped his pie production.

I started in the meat industry early in my life, during holiday visits to my cousins, when I worked in my uncle's shop.

Call me an optimist, but the news that we are starting to edge our way out of the recession has put a spring in my step this month.

Constant Instrument's sales manager gets a grilling on its THS/MS21 metal detector

A roundup of financial news from industry players

The World Cancer Research Fund is at it again - this time playing on the fears of parents in a way some might describe as opportunistic and distasteful

UK livestock price trends analysis

At school, I was encouraged by teachers and career advisers to look at the possibility of seeking further education at college or university.

I might well consider doing the lottery this week, as I seem to have the luck of Old Nick.

A roundup of financial news from industry players

It has not been a good week for the organic movement. A scientific study has revealed that there are no nutritional benefits to eating organic over conventional products - a key perception among organic-purchasing UK consumers.

UK livestock price trends analysis

The promotion of Quality Standard Mark beef on foreign markets is a simple affair: listening and fulfilling importers' requirements; offering a professional, unfussy and targeted approach; and above all making sure that the potential client tastes the product.

In 1959, when the shop and slaughterhouse were opened by my parents, little did they know that the initiatives they held dear - low food miles, traceability, animal welfare - would become the 'buzz words' of the 21st century.

A roundup of financial news from industry players

I have just returned from the Annual General Meeting of UECBV, the Brussels-based organisation whose members include most of the EU meat industry associations, including IMTA.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) seems determined to stay in the spotlight at the moment, what with its U-turn on meat hygiene charging and the possibility of Lord Rooker taking over the reins of power from Dame Deirdre Hutton.

The old system of handling employee disputes has been replaced by a semi-voluntary revised ACAS code of practice from 6 April 2009.

A new apprenticeship training scheme has helped a young Warwickshire butcher gain the skills he needs to equip himself for the demands of his work.

It has been a good few weeks for butchers, with several businesses taking home some significant awards.

As a young child at school, I remember going to see the careers teacher and talking about my future job plans, but never once was butchery suggested to me. Even when I expressed my passion for food it was always, "Be a chef".

A roundup of financial news from industry players

UK livestock price trends analysis

Welfare certainly seems to be the buzzword of the moment, with increasing emphasis being placed on it all the time.

UK livestock price trends analysis

Hubbard Products' commercial director gets a grilling on the Hubbard Econ-O-Pack

Finally, we have some good news about the Meat Hygiene Service. Not only have MHS bosses and union reps agreed on new terms and conditions to put forward to MHS staff, but UNISON has agreed to ballot its members with a neutral recommendation.

Has the meat industry left it to late to be taken seriously when it comes to tackling the climate change challenge?

Flavour plays a vital role in the enjoyment of meat. After tenderness, surveys show it is the next important factor for consumers.

Fortunately, it would seem that the recent outbreak of Mexican, tequila, H1N1 or whatever-we're-supposed-to-call-it flu has yet to have any impact on the sales of pork.

The most common business questions people ask me these days are 'How are you managing in the credit crunch?' and, with a concerned tone, 'Is business doing ok?'. The mainstream media has painted such a bleak picture of the economy that customers seem to think everyone in business must be struggling. But at Dalbeattie Fine Foods, such is our rate of business growth that the quiet period between Burns' Night and Easter, the oasis of calm I normally use for planning, just hasn't happened.

Uptons of Bassett has taken up most of my time over the past 15 years and I have gone from working on my own with the help of one part-time employee to a small team of five full-time and eight part-time employees, all of them as loyal and trustworthy as Robin Hood's own band of merry men.

The sun is shining and despite the general air of doom and gloom surrounding the economy, one could almost be forgiven for feeling optimistic.

Mecaplastic's UK divisional manager gets a grilling on its S 3000 DP automatic machine

Blood is a vital bodily fluid and is the carrier of substances around the body.

One can get somewhat cynical about consultation. After all, we are regularly consulted to no great effect. Of course, we should not confuse consultation with referendum - just because we say we want something doesn't mean it will happen.

You would think that, in these difficult times, there would be an increasing demand for the supplier and the customer to work together to make business flow... but you would think wrong.

The news that trade in pig meat between Britain and China has moved a step nearer is great for the industry, but it is not going to happen overnight.

The purchase of Bowes by Yorkshire-based Cranswick brings to a halt the ongoing acquisition of the UK pig processing sector by overseas operators.

UK livestock price trends analysis

Fat plays a big part in the marketing, quality and nutritional value of meat, but there are very different views about its role.

The meat business is always fascinating. Quite apart from whether or not you make a profit, there are always many things to consider when you are buying from the southern hemisphere – often for delivery many weeks ahead. Under present conditions, who would like to forecast the value of anything next week, let alone in the mid-distant future!