Sales at pork giant Danish Crown’s UK business fell by 1.5% to £443.9m for the 12 months to 30 September 2019, amid an increase in competition from other worldwide markets, latest accounts have shown.
The disruption caused by the African swine fever pandemic in China led to a fall in the amount of pork imported and processed by the Scandinavian farming co-op’s UK arm, a spokesman told The Grocer.
This contributed to the small decline in sales, while pre-tax profit also fell from £5.6m to £5.3m due to reduced volumes.
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Despite Danish Crown’s £290m sale of its Tulip subsidiary to Pilgrim’s Pride last autumn, it has retained a substantial UK presence through Danish Crown UK, which manages the supply of Danish bacon and pigmeat into the country. It operates from five processing locations in the south west and the north of England, as well as wholesaling and foodservice operations.
As to the financial year ahead, the Danish Crown spokesman said the coronavirus pandemic impact “continued to be felt across the market”, but stressed its wide portfolio across retail, wholesale and foodservice left it in a “positive” position.
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