Market Outlook – Consumer support

August 1st 2009

Market Outlook – Consumer support

At the beginning of 2009 the OSR price was hovering around the £250/t mark. This was £130/t off the highs of March 2008, but £30/t up on the lows of November 2008.
Large OSR stocks in Europe might limit further gains this season, but reduced plantings could give support next year. ADAS estimates that UK OSR plantings are 10% down on last year, with a decline in the European area also reported.

Growers can also be heartened by signs of a greater appreciation of the importance of British produced food among consumers. An IGD survey for the Oxford Farming Conference sponsored by Syngenta asked a 1000 members of the public about their perceptions of British farming. Nearly 90% of those surveyed agreed that Britain should be more self-sufficient in producing food, with a similar number saying that supermarkets should focus more on selling food produced by British farmers.

But although the results suggest that the British public prefers to buy British when it can, growers need to appreciate that in a time of economic crisis shoppers are also paying very close attention to how much they are spending. The challenge is to deliver quality and value while making a margin.

CEDRIC PORTER ~ SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGIST

Industry news

  • Commodity selling prices and the weather are top concerns for European farmers

    An in-depth survey of 3,000 European farmers in six countries has indicated that commodity selling pricing is the most important concern for farmers in three European countries, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, with it being the second most important concern of farmers in Great Britain and France. The next most frequent concern was, unsurprisingly, the weather, which was selected by farmers in four countries surveyed, Germany, Great Britain, Poland and the Czech Republic.

  • European farmer attitudes to renewables

    An in-depth annual survey of European farmers has indicated much greater interest and optimism for crops grown for renewable energy among German farmers, compared to their counterparts in the Great Britain

  • New Project Manager for Independent Business Resource Limited (IBR-Ltd)

    “We are delighted that Marsha is joining us at a time of company expansion. Her new role as a Project Manager will involve a range of tasks from market research studies, administration of Kleffmann business, as well as new business generation. This is an important appointment as we expand our business, not only with Kleffmann panels, but also other market research initiatives. David Dower remains our lead on market research, but Marsha’s skills will complement those of the team and provide a further experienced resource to cope with the increase in commissions,” says Roger Pratchett, Director of IBR-Ltd.

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