Lovers of kosher duck pancakes are likely to have to pay more for the Chinese delicacy after the body which licenses the kosher meat trade in London raised its fees this week.
The London Board for Shechita has increased its fees for abattoirs by 50p a duck and £2 a turkey.
But there will be lower increases for chicken and red meat. If licensees pay by direct debit, the rise will be under 3p per chicken and 2p per kilo of beef and lamb.
Board director David Rose said it had taken the view "that in these difficult economic times, it would be wrong for the chicken purchaser to have to subsidise the shechitah costs of premium and heavier species". The fee rise was the board's first in six years - and fees for red meat still remained lower than in 2002, he said.
Worsening economic conditions had left the board - whose income was just under £1.8 million last year - facing a deficit this year.
Rises will be pegged on red meat and chicken
Raising fees by an average four cent would, Mr Rose calculated, "increase the price of the meat and poultry from the abattoirs by under one per cent. Even this is to be regretted at a time when livestock prices worldwide are rising."
He added: "We will continue to try to and reduce our unit costs by increasing efficiency still further and finding new markets to increase shechitah volumes, so that we are able to cope with the increased economic pressures in the coming year."
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