Unbelievably, it was only a couple of months ago that we were reporting price cuts in the cost of international refrigerated container shipping, as the markets struggled to recover. But the subsequent rebound in container shipping demand has been so rapid, that many in the industry have been caught off balance.

The government may have stripped the Food Standards Agency (FSA) of a fair proportion of its power, but that won't stop it causing a stir in the meat industry.

My name is Craig Hinds, I am 18 years old and I work at West Newton Store and Butchery, situated on the Royal Sandringham Estate, serving Red Poll beef, Dorper Lamb and rare-breed pork.

Co-owner of Keelham Hall Farm Shop, James has worked in the meat business since leaving school and is a true champion on behalf of his chosen trade.

It's good to see that butchers in Scotland are continuing to invest in training to develop new talent through the ranks. Hopefully, that model is being replicated throughout the UK.

Since managers at all levels are initiators of trust when negotiating new deals and partnerships, we take for granted the trust placed in each other until it is lost.

The Meishan pig breed has many noteable features, including a very ugly appearance with copious folds in the skin. Genes from the Meishan are included in modern pig hybrids because of very high reproductive performance, including the production of large litters. Meishan males become sexually active at a young age, the downside of which is high levels of boar taint compounds (androstenone and skatole) causing boar taint to be easily detected in the pork.

When I see the words 'high-level expert forum', my heart usually sinks. But this time the words were not just hype, this was serious stuff. The subject was how to feed the world in 2050. Most of us will not be still reading MTJ then, but I suspect that the Global Outlook correspondent of the day will be covering a totally different international scene.

You know what, I was going to bang on about Animal Aid and sustainability and Peta's attempts to free the sheep, cows and chickens into the fields of the wild through the use of scientifically grown meat.

It was revealed last week that Alec Jarrett's Ashdale beef had won a blind test of 20 rib steaks from all over the world with, among others, Aberdeen Angus, Hereford and Chianina beef.

Consumer attitudes to GM are a constant source of frustration for many in the food industry, particularly when those attitudes have been fueled by groups with a vested interest in non-GM areas to promote their own agendas.

Officially, 'extra-slow-steaming' (ESS) is the shipping industry's response to cutting global carbon emissions and is supposed to cut vessel emissions by some 30%. It is now the norm on the majority of trade routes, although the cynic would say that it is simply a significant cost-cutting exercise, keeps ships in employment and, in fact, was widely used just to redress the supply-demand imbalance that built up in 2009. It is estimated that, in May alone, speed cuts to between 17-19 knots from the usual 23-25 kept almost 100 ships in employment.

The news that the UN, or at least a branch of it, appears to be backing a reduction in meat consumption is yet another blow to the beleaguered meat industry, So it's perhaps time that we upped our game on responding to these issues.

Trading conditions are certainly challenging, with butchers across the industry facing increasing competition from the multiple retail sector. Price wars at supermarkets and an escalation in the number of deals can prove tempting to shoppers, and butchers need to stay on their toes if they are going to compete in the allegedly post-recession environment.

Pigs are unusual among the meat animal species in having a very high proportion of body fat, around 70%, as subcutaneous fat under the skin. The fat is distributed evenly around the carcase and measurement of its thickness at one point gives a good indication of the total amount of fat and, indirectly, the amount of lean.

Each month, IMTA Council members gather to discuss key issues affecting the world of international meat and poultry. The members are well-known figures in the business and bring to the table many years of experience and a great deal of common sense.

So it's all change in government. And the meat industry, along with the rest of the country, waits to see what the implications of our new coalition leaders will be.

I'm 16 years old and started working as a Saturday boy at Ponty Butchers in Pontardawe, with Clinton and Angela Roberts. I have now been there as an apprentice for six months.

Our whole ethos has been to create a village butcher's shop on the edge of a city Newcastle upon Tyne.

The Far East is exactly what it says: very far in the East. So ignorance and misconceptions on the region's meat market from Europeans are commonplace. This is prejudicial to our industry, as Asia is increasingly leading the world economy and the world meat trade.

At the recent Outlook conference, organised by Bpex and Eblex, the overall theme of the day was 'A changing climate?' And I was given just 30 minutes to explain why consumption of meat and dairy in particular needs to be reduced if we are to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2050. That was difficult enough. Here, I have just 300 words to do the same.

In 20 years' time, water availability will be 40% below where it needs to be to support a growing global population. That is the stark warning from the 2030 Water Resources Group. So what should the average UK business do to address these risks and develop a sustainable water strategy?

Welcome to MTJ's first-ever 'green' issue. With the ever-growing focus on the environment, and the role that meat production plays within it, we have decided to devote a special edition of the magazine to the subject.

To improve the nutritional value of meat, researchers have been examining how to increase levels of 'healthy' fatty acids, particularly the 'long chain' Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in oily fish but are also in meat, usually at very low levels. Our diets have seen a big decrease in these nutrients from the time when we were 'hunter gatherers', and a parallel rise in the Omega-6 fatty acids, which are in plant oils, the source of most of the fat we eat. An imbalance in the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids is implicated in the onset of several diseases including cancer.

Just a few weeks ago, we were looking at significant price rises in the cost of international refrigerated container shipping and predicting more to come. But there is nothing as certain as uncertainty.

It has been a busy couple of weeks in the meat industry. Lamb prices continue to evoke mixed feelings, with rapturous joy among the farming community and bleak despair among retailers and processors. And the debate shows no signs of slowing down.

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Footprint Study, recently released by AgResearch, a New Zealand Crown Research Institute, shows that Kiwis are continuing to look for ways to reduce the carbon footprint of their agricultural production. The study is a 'life-cycle assessment' of New Zealand's lamb exports to the UK, quantifying the carbon emissions associated with the production, processing, transport and consumption of a 100g portion of lamb meat considered to be a recommended serving size.

Whether you call yourself a 'manager' or not, success in business depends on how well you manage not only other people, but also meetings, time and yourself. You need to be effective as well as industrious working smarter and getting more done with less effort and stress.

Meat quality varies because it is affected by many factors in the animal, such as fatness and diet and the changes that are introduced during processing.

The lamb sector is an interesting area at the moment, with farmers undoubtedly enjoying the high prices. Indeed, one supermarket buyer joked the other day that Ferrari was planning a showroom in Builth Wells!

Having grown up on our family beef farm in the Lincolnshire Wolds, all I had ever wanted to do was farm. I left school at 16, started work on a neighbouring farm, and completed my modern apprenticeship in mixed agriculture. After finishing that, I fancied a change and butchering caught my eye.

Brindon Addy knew he wanted to be a butcher from the tender age of 11, after starting as a Saturday boy at a local butcher's shop.

So, another year under our belts and National Butchers' Week continues to grow, both in terms of the superb support from the week's sponsors and at grass-roots level on the ground.

Last week, IMTA held its 100th annual general meeting. Back on 11 January 1910 the association was known as the Incorporated Society of Meat Importers and I unearthed the minutes of the first AGM when members were all from companies based around Smithfield. Today, only two of our Council members are around Smithfield. Company names such as Borthwick, Sansinena and Eastmans have disappeared.

Boar taint - the unpleasant odour and flavour of cooked pork and bacon coming from the meat of some entire male pigs is still a hot research topic. Producers prefer to rear boars rather than castrating them because boars grow faster and eat less feed.

Welcome to the new look MTJ - we've given the magazine a minor overhaul for your reading pleasure! We hope you like the fresh look and feel free to let us know your thoughts.

I've been butchering since the age of 17 and I have my own shop in the small town of Selkirk in the central Borders. Not bad going for being just 23 and growing up wanting to be a computer software systems analyst.

Berkins Butchers has been based in Rosegrove, Burnley since 1945. The business was originally established by my grandfather, Frank, followed by my father, Kenneth. Since my father's retirement, I have been running the business.

Some of you will be thinking that summer cannot come fast enough for the butcher's trade, because from what you have told us, January was pretty dire sales-wise. It seems the bad weather made difficult economic times even worse so we wish you all the best in the coming months.

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!