THE  MEAT  INDUSTRY  IN  ITS  RELATION 
TO  AGRICULTURE 
IN  THE  UNITED  KINGDOM. 
By  Loudon  M.  Douglas,  F.R.S.E., 
Lecturer  and  Technical  Adviser  on  Bacon  Curing , the 
Meat  Industry , and  Modern  Dairy  Practice. 
The  year  1910  will  be  memorable  in  connection  with  the 
meat  industry  of  Europe,  because  of  its  having  witnessed  such 
a crisis  in  the  history  of  the  meat  supply  as  is  likely  to  have 
far-reaching  results.  During  last  year  it  began  to  be  realised 
in  some  of  the  larger  European  states  that  the  home  supplies  of 
meat  of  all  kinds  were  not  keeping  pace  with  the  increase  in 
the  population,  and  as  meats  from  other  countries  and  from  the 
British  colonies  were  refused  entry  into  these  states,  the  home 
prices  became  consequently  higher  and  higher.  Agitation  has 
now  gone  so  far  that  it  is  most  likely  that  Germany,  Austria, 
Hungary,  Switzerland,  France,  and  Italy  will  be  compelled  to 
open  their  frontiers  to  supplies  of  foreign  meat.  In  Portugal, 
the  prohibitions  have  already  been  removed,  with  the  result 
that  in  that  country  the  prices  of  meat  have  fallen  to  their 
normal  level. 
This  meat  famine  in  Europe  is  likely  to  have  a considerable 
influence  on  the  meat  supply  of  the  United  Kingdom,  with 
which  we  are  here  more  immediately  concerned,  as  it  is  quite 
obvious  that  if  the  imports  from  foreign  countries  to  British 
ports  diminish,  the  total  supply  to  the  United  Kingdom  will,  in 
consequence,  be  curtailed,  and  any  such  developments  should 
be  keenly  watched  by  all  who  are  interested  in  the  progress  of 
British  agriculture. 
Some  Statistics. 
In  order  to  fully  appreciate  the  trend  of  events,  it  will  be  of 
interest  to  consider  the  supplies  dealt  with  at  our  greatest  meat 
distributing  centre,  namely,  Smithfield  Markets,  London.  An 
analysis  of  the  supplies  of  various  kinds  of  meat  to  that 
emporium  during  1910  shows  the  following  figures1  : — 
Annual  Report  for  1910. 
