LAMB FOR ALGERIA.
Algeria has a population of 35 million people, with meat consumption per capita of 22 kilos per person mainly lamb and mutton.
The Algerian presence in France, is very strong with 60% of the butchers shops in Paris being Algerian owned.
France is currently the main lamb market for the United Kingdom, with around 7,000 fresh lambs each night being of offer in Rungis meat market Paris.
Beef and lamb marketing groups in the United Kingdom, now wish to re-open the lamb export market with Algeria, as opposed to selling to French wholesalers, who then in turn sell on to Algeria.
The UK has not successfully exported lambs to Algeria since the eighties, when Doug Clay in conjunction with Marshals of Lamberhurst, developed a large trade with the country for live sheep and carcass meat from England.
The frozen mutton trade to Algeria, is well tied up with Patagonia, Uruguay and Australia, these prices could be matched now with the low pound by the English exporters.
There is however potential for fresh lamb Halal slaughtered, if financial guidelines can be
put in place.
The reason the trade broke down 25 years ago, was difficulties in securing payment direct from Algeria as opposed to France.
Algeria is a very strong beef customer of Argentina and Uruguay, with several joint ventures in operation between the three countries.
