Pig Sector Plummets as Public Pushed to Purchase British Produce

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has issued a warning that, “unless things change rapidly,” the selection of popular British pig products will be limited over Christmas.
According to data, pig farmers experienced a net loss of £52 per pig between April and June, with £59 net loss between January and March. The AHDB have recorded producers as having a total £600 million loss on the back of seven consecutive quarters of negative profitability.

Defra’s Agricultural census for June revealed a significant 17% decline in the English pig breeding herd, with a reduction of over 50,000 sows and gilts.

The Covid-19 outbreak, issues with taking pigs off-farm for slaughter, and the ongoing shortage of available expertise have all had a substantial negative effect on the pig industry.

The war waged on Ukraine by Russia has also made things worse by raising the cost of inputs like feed, energy, oil, and fertiliser.

Lizzie Wilson, Chief Executive of The National Pig Association, stated that scarcities during Christmas would make the supply chain increasingly dependent on imports from the European Union. Demand for British pork is currently “sluggish,” and notwithstanding EU price increases, imports remain less expensive than UK produce.

“Sadly, increasing numbers are having to make the very difficult decision to reduce their herd or close. This will potentially mean less British pork available on the run-up to Christmas.”

“What will help is for retailers to continue to support our domestic supply by buying British Red Tractor pork wherever possible, and for shoppers to buy British too. Pork is still very competitively priced and so provides excellent value for money when budgets are increasingly being squeezed.”

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