Sales of delicatessen counter sliced ox tongue have been buoyant over the summer in spite of it being one of the wettest in many years. A good demand for salad items meant a corresponding demand in associated cold eating products, including ox tongue. One UK producer said: "It is only when unseasonably cold weather arrives that the consumer turns away from summer salads. We have had no complaints about the summer sales volumes." Relative shortages of raw beef tongues has put pressure on costs leading to trade rates moving upwards during July and August. Raw material supplies are reported to be reasonable, but rates remain high. Because of the pressure on supplies, there has been an increase in imported frozen raw beef tongues. Cold eating sliced pork tongue (lunch tongue) has not been widely promoted by major retailers, but sales are up to expectations. Inputs of frozen raw pig tongue blades were affected by the low pig kills throughout the summer, but imports from Europe made up the shortfall. Prices continue to be stable. {{PROVISIONS }}

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