Supermarkets urged to act amid pigmeat crisis

There have been concerns over an impending shortage of pork and bacon in this country, with pig producers giving up in the face of rapidly rising feed costs.

This week, however, the National Pig Association (NPA) extended that warning, saying a world shortage of pigmeat next year was now unavoidable.

The warning comes after the publication of new data showing the European Union pig herd is declining at a significant rate. This downward trend is, according to the NPA, being mirrored around the world.

The reason for the fall in pigmeat production has been high feed costs, caused by the global failure of maize and soya harvests and subsequent record prices for animal feed.

The data from the European Union shows all the main European pig-producing countries reporting shrinking sow herds.

In the 12 months to June 2012, Denmark saw a reduction of 2.3 per cent, Germany by 1.3, Ireland by 6.6 per cent, Spain by 2.8 per cent, France by 3.2 per cent, Italy by a massive 13 per cent, Hungary by 5 cent, the Netherlands by 3.6 per cent, Austria by 2.8 per cent, Poland – a major pig-producing country – by 9.6 per cent and Sweden by 7.2 per cent.

And with a drop in production will come a surge in the cost of pigmeat, with British Pig executive Mick Sloyan briefing British and mainland Europe retailers in Brussels last week that a fall of only 2 per cent in slaughterings next year would cause prices to rise by 10 per cent.

The position could be much worse, with the NPA believing that slaughterings could fall by as much as 10 per cent in the second half of next year. This would indicate a potential doubling of the price of European pork and pork products.

Pointing his finger in one specific direction, NPA chairman Richard Longthorp said: “If supermarkets act now, they can prevent this happening. British supermarkets know they have to raise the price they pay Britain’s pig farmers – or risk empty spaces on their shelves next year.”

But he conceded that inter-store competition was so fierce in the high street, that each of the major retailers was waiting for the other to move first.

One of the big players, Sainsbury’s has broken ranks and increased the price it is paying a few of its pig farmer suppliers and NPA welcomed this gesture.