IT is indicative of the thorough mess Britain's farmers are in when a beef crisis tax threatens the livelihood of pork producers.

Extra safety measures introduced in the wake of the BSE affair are costing pig breeders more than £5 an animal. At a time when pig prices have hit rock bottom, that is much more than they can afford.

It is also inherently unfair that the punitive tax on offal production, introduced in the wake of BSE, should be levelled at the pig industry. Everyone blames everyone else for mad cow disease, of course. But if one group can justifiably claim they had nothing to do with the crisis, it is pig farmers.

The beef industry has already received substantial compensation for its travails. Lamb farmers, too, have been given financial help from the Government. It is time pig producers' equally legitimate claim was met.

The British Pig Industry Support Group today took its case to court. The group has launched a judicial review to secure £200 million in compensation from the Government. It is a shame that this action was necessary, but ministers have proved unwilling to help.

Without the cash, more pig farmers are likely to go to the wall. That will have a knock-on effect on the suppliers of feed, bacon processors and so-on. Many jobs are at stake.

Our pig farmers are already being asked to compete on an uneven playing field. Continental producers can undercut their British rivals because pigs here are bred under more welfare-friendly - and therefore costlier - conditions.

The case to compensate pig farmers is, therefore, a compelling one. But any rescue package should involve more than money. Ministers and farmers' leaders need to thrash out a detailed business plan to get the industry back on its feet. We must ensure that this is not a case of throwing good taxpayers' money after bad.