'Save our bacon': Pig farmers demonstrate in York

Farmers from around the UK gathered in York on Thursday as representatives took part in a roundtable discussion with Defra about what they say is a crisis in British pig production.

Kate Morgan, who farms near Driffield, East Yorkshire, told said: “We need to let them know how important this meeting is to our industry.

“We’re protesting to show our support and let them know that this meeting is vital to the industry.

“It’s going to be devastating. They must do something.”

Pig farmers raised concerns last year when a shortage of butchers left farms overflowing with piglets and raised the prospect of large-scale culling.

Around 20 to 30 farmers gathered outside Defra’s York office wearing T-shirts saying: “Save Our Bacon”. One demonstrator was dressed as a pig as banners were unfurled outside the office building.

Ms Morgan said: “It’s got lots worse, unfortunately.

“We’re in a really desperate position.

“There’s been about 35-40,000 pigs that we know that have been culled on farms and wasted.

“Forty independent farmers have decided to pack in and get out of pigs, which is devastating for the industry.”

She said: “We have just run out of space. Financially, emotionally, mentally, its just the worst place we’ve ever been in as industry. It’s destroying people.”

And she added: “Last week, we actually arranged renderers and wagons to come and collect 700 pigs. We managed to get around that but we’ve just pushed the problem down for a few weeks.

“The Government need to step in. They need to, first of all, find out why the measures they were asked to put in place haven’t been taken up and they haven’t worked.

“And they then need to put some stiff rules in that the processors and the retailers need to work together to clear the backlog.

“Further down the line, we must investigate the supply chain.”

Ms Morgan said: “It just so wrong because it is not the farmers’ fault.

“We are merely trying to supply our contract numbers and we’re the ones that are dealing with the issue on the farm – mentally, financially – yet the processors and retailers are still making profits. It’s criminal.”

Farming Minister, Victoria Prentis, said yesterday: “Today I met with pig sector representatives from across the UK including the National Farmers Union, the National Pig Association, producers, processors and retailers.

“The sector has been faced with a range of challenges, including the loss of exports to the Chinese market for certain pig processors, global disruption to CO2 supplies, and global labour shortages and we want to support the industry to reduce the current backlog of pigs on farms.  

“The effects on pig farmers have been devastating, and it is clear that many contractual arrangements are simply unfair. Our Agriculture Act includes provisions to address this unfairness, and we are launching an immediate review of Supply Chain Fairness in the pig sector. We want to hear from industry about improvements to fairness and transparency that could be made to ensure a profitable and productive future and we will begin engaging with industry on this straightaway with a consultation expected later this year. 

“This will come in addition to the measures we have already introduced to address the current challenges, including temporary visas for up to 800 pork butchers, funding for a private storage aid scheme and a new slaughter incentive payment scheme to help with the costs of running additional shifts for the processing of pigs. Both of these schemes have recently been extended until the end of March.

“I want to reiterate my commitment to work with the sector to address the challenges they are facing, both in the short-term and the long-term.”