European apple shortfall is 70% Europe's processing apple crop is twice as small as previously predicted, new figures from key producer Poland have revealed. It puts the true scale of Europe's apple shortfall at 70%, far worse than initially feared. Most Polish growers are small family-run orchards, making it difficult to assess the true size of the crop. UK juice manufacturers are facing serious losses as raw material prices rose from £900 per tonne to £1,810. Many old season contracts will expire over the next two months, exposing buyers to the full force of the higher prices. Some UK retailers are on contracts that run out next year, and should stay protected until then. Prices for apples and pears from alternative sources such as China have risen sharply, even though they cannot directly replace the more acidic Polish product required for UK specs. Price rises for Brazilian beef Brazilian meat packers have announced price increases on both corned beef and hot packs to recoup losses from the falling dollar. The local currency the Real has reached an all-time high against the dollar - worth 56¢ today, compared with 45¢ a year ago. "Although more cattle are available, the return we get in local currency hardly covers our costs," a source in São Paulo said. Foreign exchange traders expect the Real to keep climbing against the dollar. Demand from Russia, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries has remained strong, forcing forequarter and frozen trimmings higher - these being the main ingredients for corned beef and hot packs. Meanwhile, retail sales of stewed steak are rising year-on-year, even with limited promotional activity. Poor fishing as sardine shoals dive Sardines are currently short due to continued poor fishing, with little hope of improvement over the next three to four months. Fishing normally remains good well into early November but this year, higher surface temperatures have forced shoals to greater depths, making them more difficult to detect. A tick for the West Coast salmon industry Canada's West Coast salmon industry is still on track to win Marine Stewardship Council certification for sustainable fisheries. But it is not clear whether canners will be allowed to use the MSC's blue tick logo retrospectively on this season's pack. UK importers are already using the logo on Alaskan salmon after the fishery was accredited in July.

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