Michael joined the association in 2004. Before that he worked in both retail and food trade associations in the UK. In 2000 he moved to Brussels to run a European cereals association, which focused on international trade issues. As well as looking after the Executive Committee, which has financial and strategic oversight of UK Pet Food, Michael also runs the Fish and Raw Pet Food Groups. Michael has a degree in Politics from Durham University and an MA in European Studies from South Bank University. Michael and his family share their home with the lovely Tessa, a schnoodle.
You have a rich career in the food and grain industries both in the UK and Europe, but what initially led you to the petfood sector?
After a career in UK trade associations in retail and food sectors, I spent four years in Brussels running European trade bodies. By 2004 I was looking to return to the UK. I was already aware of UK Pet Food (formerly the Pet Food Manufacturers Association) from my time at the Food & Drink Federation and was really impressed with the work they were doing. So, it was a no brainer when the opportunity came up to help shape the future of such a vibrant group of members. The remit of the job is so broad, from regulatory issues to public relations, sustainability, education, and, most critically, raising welfare standards. It is an incredibly rewarding sector to work in. In common with my colleagues, it helps to have a passion for pets, and I currently share my home with our dog, Tessa, and cat, Sooty.
Can you elaborate on why the work of the UK Petfood Association is so important?
Animal welfare is at the heart of everything UK Pet Food does. Pets are seen as a key part of the family nowadays, and their nutrition is critical to ensuring they live as long and healthy lives as possible. The goal of UK Pet Food is not only to promote prepared petfood as the ideal way to feed pets but also to raise standards and the safety of products by doing so in a sustainable way.
There is so much misinformation in the public domain nowadays because of the huge growth in social media posts and the role of non-expert influencers. Our key role today is to counter that with science and evidence-based information that our wider stakeholder group (e.g. vets, animal welfare organisations, government) can use to educate pet owners and the wider public.
What role does the UK Association play in international concerns or within the global petfood industry? Are there topics or issues that are universal when it comes to feeding our pets with regard to their welfare and nutrition, etc?
UK Pet Food are active members of European Pet Food (FEDIAF) who in turn are part of the Global Association of Pet Food Associations (GAPFA). The goals of all these bodies are the same; improving the nutrition and wellbeing of all pets. One key area of work is to bring together the two sets of nutritional guidelines, AAFCO in the USA and FEDIAF in Europe. Another is to exchange best practice to overcome some of the critical safety challenges we face, such as mycotoxins. Companion animals have the same nutritional needs wherever they live in the world, and the same set of challenges when it comes to making the best use of limited resources. In addition, we have seen big growth globally in feeding raw petfood. UK Pet Food has responded to this by creating the world’s first standard for the safe manufacture of raw petfood. We are looking to roll this out globally to raise the standards of raw food production worldwide.
Can you give our readers your perspective on how the petfood industry is evolving, particularly changes over the past decade? What do you think has been the most significant driving force behind these changes? Has the ‘humanisation’ of pets, for example, been a factor in changes taking place here in the UK?
It’s clearly the case that as families are becoming more aware of their own well-being, they are also looking at their pet’s well-being and are looking at petfood products that can deliver health benefits. In addition, the drive to more sustainable food production has been a key factor in the drive to develop alternative proteins such as insects and lab-grown meat. UK Pet Food has led the way in sustainable petfood production by studying the carbon impact of the key animal and cereal ingredients, covering 80 percent of production. We then produced a handbook to guide members on how to utilise their ingredients in the most sustainable way.
Are we seeing a trend towards increased pet ownership in the UK and what are the important issues we should be considering as we go forward in your view?
We saw a spike in pets being acquired during COVID, from the recognition of the critical role pets play in human mental and physical wellbeing. Acquisitions have dropped back since then, in great part due to the cost-of-living crisis we have had. This highlights the need for a petfood market with a wide range of products and ingredients to suit every price point whilst not sacrificing the overall nutrition being delivered to the individual animal.
Looking ahead, what do you foresee as the most significant opportunities or challenges facing the petfood Industry, particularly sustainability, carbon footprint and environmental issues where petfood is concerned for the future? There are definitely opportunities for companies that embrace the challenges of producing more sustainable petfood. By reducing your environmental impact you will also reduce your costs, in a more efficient use of energy, packaging material etc. As the UK consumer reduces its meat consumption there will be reduced levels of animal by products, escalating the move towards alternative proteins. Beyond that we will also see a focus on nature preservation and an adaptation to more sustainable farming techniques such as regenerative agriculture.
Published in the December 2024 issue of International Petfood.