Welfare and quality at centre of pig price protest

Published on Tuesday 4 March 2008 21:01

SCOTTISH producers joined an estimated 500 pig farmers from across the UK in London yesterday to highlight the desperate plight of their sector.

A petition with more than 13,000 signatures was delivered to 10 Downing Street pointing out that farmers are losing an average of 26 on each pig sold for slaughter.

Robin Traquair, chairman of the NFU Scotland pigs committee, said: "We are calling on MPs to recognise the precarious situation Britain's pig farmers are facing through no fault of their own. Government must understand that we cannot have it both ways: producing highest quality pork domestically and then undercutting it with imports produced to lower animal welfare and food safety standards.

"The solution is simple: retailers should increase the price paid to farmers, and consumers can play their part too by checking the label and making sure they buy British pork. Retailers have said they are sympathetic to our plight, but this has not been translated into higher prices. In the meantime, they appear to be waiting for pork to become scarce to force the price up without realising that by the time this happens it will be too late for most British producers."

A recent YouGov survey of 2,000 consumers revealed that 78 per cent of pork and poultry buyers were prepared to pay a little more to cover rising production costs and support British farmers. Only 9 per cent believed that farmers were being paid a fair price by the major retailers.

Yesterday's protest in London was organised by the National Pig Association with support from the British Pig Executive (Bpex). Stewart Houston, chairman of Bpex, said: "We have reached crisis point. Without an increase, farmers stand to lose around 200 million in the next year and many face the prospect of going out of business. Consumers will then lose the choice to buy higher welfare Quality Standard Mark pork, bacon and ham.

"Two-thirds of imported produce would be illegal to rear in the UK as it fails to meet our higher welfare standards."

Richard Longthorp runs a large pig unit in Yorkshire. He said: "We don't want any special treatment. All we are asking for is a fairer share.

"Feed represents at least 50 per cent of our costs and this has gone up massively. Prices are going up but we are not getting a share. If things don't change we will see a lot of farmers going out of business."

Last year the UK imported 462,800 tonnes of pork – an increase of 4,000 tonnes on the 2006 figure. An alarming statistic is the level of pork imports to the UK in 2000, which stood at just 243,200 tonnes. On current trends the UK looks set to double its imports of pork within a mere eight years.

The latest figures from the Meat and Livestock Commission reveal that in the week ended 23 February the kill of sows at 5,600 head was 47 per cent higher than in the corresponding week last year. This trend to reducing herd numbers is by no means confined to the UK, with producers in Denmark and the Netherlands going out of business almost on a daily basis in the face of a near doubling of feed costs.

Accompanying the farmers on their demonstration yesterday was Winnie the Pig – a nine-year-old Landrace cross Duroc sow. She is a veteran campaigner, having spent three months in Parliament Square in 2000 – and having stood for Mayor of London – to highlight the problems facing pig farmers.

Richard Bacon MP tabled an early day motion in the House of Commons yesterday, calling for the government's support to stop the disappearance of British pig farming.