This year’s UK Sausage Week (26th October – 1st November) has been cancelled because of the ongoing impact of Covid-19 and uncertainty about competition judging.

Graham Yandell, the publisher of Meat Management magazine, who stage the annual event said: “The various parties involved were consulted and a consensus became clear that the sausage competition, which is a major part of the overall promotion, faced serious logistical and judging difficulties. Without a credible competition, the celebration awards lunch, which kick-starts the week, cannot take place.

The promotion was scheduled for a June launch to start the process of inviting competition entries. The UKSW competition is the UK’s biggest and is followed up by a celebration lunch to kick start the October promotion when the UK Supreme Sausage Champion is revealed, alongside a host of regional and category winners.

Yandell added: “We will take a gap year in 2020. Our plan is to then resume the promotion for the autumn of 2021, including competition judging around the September period 2021. UK Sausage Week is not going away, but this year we are unable to deliver with certainty what would normally be expected.

“This does not affect any other events and promotions in our portfolio. UKSW has a unique and very different market interface and timescale to our other events and therefore an early decision was required.”

Head judge of the UK Sausage Week competition and CEO of the Institute of Meat, Keith Fisher commented: “Naturally this is a big disappointment for everyone, particularly as we are seeing more and more uptake and positive engagement every year. However, we all felt this is a sensible and responsible approach considering the prevailing circumstances.”

Supporting partners for UK Sausage Week: