'New pig plant' for Scots producers

A NEW processing plant for Scottish pigs is in the offing, pig producers heard at the annual meeting of marketing co-operative Scottish Pig Producers (SPP) at Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire.

SPP managing director Gordon McKen revealed that the UK's largest pork producer, Tulip, owned by the Danish Crown Group, was in negotiation with Paisley meat wholesaler A P Jess to lease a mothballed abattoir at Brechin in Angus.

Neither party would last night confirm a deal had been struck but A P Jess director Alan Jess said he had a number of options. "I want to do something with the Brechin plant but it is pure speculation that we have done a deal with Tulip," he said.

It is understood Tulip has been approach by a major supermarket group seeking to source "Specially Selected Scottish Pork" which is endorsed by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Animals (SSPCA) because of the welfare-friendly production systems on Scottish pig farms.

A new processing plant would enable all Scottish pigs to be slaughtered in Scotland rather than large numbers having to be sent to England for slaughter.

SPP handle the marketing of 9,000 pigs a week in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Most of the Scottish pigs are processed at Vion's Broxburn plant for Asda but the plant also contract slaughters for Morrisons.

"A new specialist pig plant would enable all pigs produced in Scotland to be slaughtered in Scotland and would have welfare advantages as well as reducing haulage costs," said McKen. "It would also enable another major retailer to benefit from the Specially Selected Scottish Pork label."

Danish Crown, owned by a co-operative of 15,000 Danish farmers, is the largest producer of pork in Europe with annual sales of two million tonnes.

Weather conditions in November and December took their toll of the profits of Huntly-based SPP last year.

The prolonged period of snow which prevented shoppers getting to the shops reduced the demand for pork in Scotland and the co-op was forced to subsidise the haulage of pigs to abattoirs south of the Border.

Surplus for the year fell to 4,176 compared with 58,274 the previous year but this was after refunding 31,063 to producers in unused promotional levies.