The consumption of local lamb and goat meat picks up in Tenerife and that of rabbit and pork falls. This was stated yesterday by Javier Parrilla, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Council of Tenerifewhich stood out in the review of the latest data for this year on sale of meat on the island the general rise in the consumption of meat products from the land compared to those that come from abroad. Grill explained that “the rebound in the consumption of local beef and goat meat» so far this year «is mainly motivated by the high competitiveness of the country’s meats, currently cheaper than imported ones».
The person in charge of the primary sector in the Insular Corporation assures that the world events of the last two years, especially the attempt to Russian invasion of Ukraine, “have led to a greater appreciation of the local product, both for its freshness and continuity and for its quality.” Parrilla adds in this regard that “the large marketers are betting on the acquisition of fresh meat from the Island, not only because of its quality, continuity and freshness, but also because currently goat and beef meat from the Peninsula are more expensive than those from Tenerife».
Specifically, the counselor explained that local beef has an average cost of 5.30 euros per kilo, while the average for imported meat is 6.40 euros. “This is a substantial difference that has caused a greater consumption of meat from the country compared to imported meat in recent months.” The island official also ensures that this rebound in the consumption of lamb and goat “is also motivated by the scarcity of meat at European level”and points out that the Tenerife Slaughterhouse has received goats from other islands –La Palma, Fuerteventura and El Hierro– “because the other slaughterhouses do not guarantee the slaughter in time”.
The island councilor showed, yes, his concern about the fall, of more than 5%, of the rabbit meat consumption, as well as the “slight” decrease of almost 2% in the production of pork. “This breaks with the upward trend registered in the last two years”, Javier Parrilla clarified.
On a global level, however, the trend remains at “positive levels”. In fact, The consumption of local meat in Tenerife has increased by 10% in the last three years, going from 3,881,403 kilos in 2019 to 4,272,702 in 2021. Parrilla assures that it is a “moderate” increase, which “responds to the strategy put in place by the Island Corporation from the beginning of the mandate, as well as the valorization of fresh meat from the Island in the final consumer.” “The world events of the last two years have led to a greater appreciation of the local product, both for its freshness and continuity and for its quality,” he adds.
In terms of aid, the person in charge of the primary sector recalls that the Cabildo has already paid 1,355,000 euros in direct aid for livestock feeding, and that “as soon as this process is completed, a new advance call will be proposed with charge to the 2023 budgets. In total, the Island Corporation will allocate 3.1 million euros this year to the promotion of livestock. In addition, three other aids to the livestock sector worth 330,000 euros are currently being urgently processed.
«The war in Ukraine and the crisis derived from covid have multiplied the price of feed and electricity, that is why from the Cabildo we have not only increased aid, but also streamlined its processing, because what it is about is that the ranchers and ranchers have the aid as soon as possible, “concludes the councilor of the island countryside.
