This Christmas will be the season to be costly
Retailers look set to pass on costs of poultry processing in the form of higher Christmas turkey prices in stores over the festive season.
As manufacturers turn their thoughts to Christmas, Leigh Edwards, a director at Bernard Matthews, the UK's largest turkey processor, said: "The rising cost of feed (wheat +130%), energy (oil +80%) and other raw material costs are affecting everyone who farms livestock. We have absorbed some of this cost but the scale of the increases means we are having to pass on increases to our retail customers. But this is all relative to the meat and poultry industry who face similar cost pressures."
However, he continued: "Despite higher prices we are expecting sales to be as strong as ever this year."
Edwards said Bernard Matthews aimed to source all its turkey from Britain from the end of August. He also said it planned to launch free-range turkeys and turkey joints this Christmas.
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