The meat industry is facing an unprecedented challenge. Despite lacklustre consumer demand, prices are skyrocketing.
This year, we’ve seen some of the biggest price jumps in memory. In UK supermarkets, everything from burgers, sausages and chicken breasts have surged in cost, with increases of up to 67% in just the past year. The sharp increases defy traditional market logic. Meat eating in the UK has fallen by 11% over the past decade, so prices shouldn’t rise as demand falls.
This issue points to something deeper – a meat production system that’s under growing and unsustainable pressure. Extreme weather events are leading to lower farm productivity, welfare regulations are resulting in lower stocking densities, global inflation is increasing feed and energy costs, while intensive animal agricultural practices are contributing to a rise in zoonotic diseases.
As a result, herd sizes are shrinking. In the US, they’re at their lowest in 74 years. In Europe, numbers haven’t been this small since the mad cow crisis of the 1990s.
Farmgate price crisis
Industry insiders have described it as “structural unprofitability”. Raising animals is becoming ever more expensive and complex. Despite the price rises, farmgate prices often don’t fully reflect those rising costs. This is driving consolidation, farm closures, and long-term supply shrinkage.
It’s not just farmers who are under the cosh. The entire food chain is feeling the strain, from supermarkets and restaurants to petfood manufacturers. Alan Brown, president of the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers, candidly said: “Domestic supplies are nearing a critical tipping point, bringing us to the brink of gaps in supply at certain times of the year.”
The question is no longer whether we need to act, but how. The crisis isn’t looming. It’s here. And marginal changes aren’t making a difference.
The future of UK meat
To secure the UK’s meat supply, we need to think bigger. That means acknowledging the limits of the current system and being open to new solutions, including new ways of producing meat.
One of the most promising paths lies in cultivated proteins, meat grown from animal cells in bioreactors, and precision fermentation, which uses microbes to create high-quality proteins. These technologies are highly efficient in terms of land, water, and feedstock use. They’re also resilient to many of the shocks that are hammering conventional livestock production.
I am the founder of a cultivated meat company, so I would say that. But it’s not just me.
When Tyson Foods, one of the world’s largest meat companies, invested in alternative protein companies, its then CEO said: “If you think about it, a protein strategy inclusive of alternative forms is intuitive… it’s another step toward giving today’s consumers what they want and feeding tomorrow’s consumers sustainably for years to come.”
No replacement for farming
Crucially, this isn’t about replacing traditional farming. It’s about supporting them. It’s about relieving unsustainable pressure on our farmers so they can focus on what the UK does best: producing high-quality, high-welfare, sustainable and high-value meat. Cultivated and fermented proteins can take up the slack in areas where the economics or environmental costs of traditional meat no longer stack up.
In the UK, regulators are starting to move. Cultivated meat has been approved for pets, and a process to agree approvals for human consumption has been launched. Bringing these solutions to scale will require investment. The technology is advancing quickly, with costs coming down year by year, but the next step is infrastructure. We need larger manufacturing facilities and the supply chains to support them.
If supermarkets and governments are serious about food security, climate resilience, and long-term competitiveness, now is the time to invest. If we can do this, then the UK can lead the next chapter of protein production globally, and ensure a stable, sustainable food future for all.
Done right, this is a win-win scenario. Consumers continue to access affordable, nutritious protein – whether it’s for themselves or for their pets. Farmers are supported to thrive, not squeezed by impossible margins. And the UK strengthens its food system against future shocks.
Owen Ensor, CEO and co-founder of Meatly
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