The UK’s pig producers believe they can bounce back from the decline that has characterised the sector since the late 1990s.
Farmers leaders are to introduce a comprehensive pig health and welfare standard in a drive to boost efficiency and output.
British Pig Executive boss Mick Sloyan said the scheme would help Britain’s pig farmers in the face of stiff competition from, in particular, the Danes and the Dutch.
“It will be expensive but cost-effective,” he said. It would fit snugly into the Red Meat Industry Forum’s benchmarking system, he added.
The scheme, which would cover 90% of finished pigs, is to be run and audited by an
independent body and funded though a levy. It will be piloted this month and available all over the UK in the spring.
Pig farming expert Nick White said improving health and welfare could be key to helping the UK pig sector recover. “Pig production is a biological system where we cope with much greater variation than would be acceptable in most industries,” he said.
The UK had a breeding sow population of about 500,000 in June, down from 784,000 in 1994. But this figure has stabilised, said Sloyan.
At present the number of pigs slaughtered per sow is around 17.5, a figure described as “scary” by Hans Aarestrup, director of Danish pig producers’ organisation Danske Svineproducenter. The equivalent figure in Denmark is around 23.
However, Sloyan believed an extra 1,000,000 pigs could be produced in the UK annually at marginal cost to farmers.
“It shouldn’t just be about cutting costs,” he said. “It’s about defending our market position. We need to keep up the pressure on imports, 70% of which would be illegal if they were produced here.”
Richard Clarke
Farmers leaders are to introduce a comprehensive pig health and welfare standard in a drive to boost efficiency and output.
British Pig Executive boss Mick Sloyan said the scheme would help Britain’s pig farmers in the face of stiff competition from, in particular, the Danes and the Dutch.
“It will be expensive but cost-effective,” he said. It would fit snugly into the Red Meat Industry Forum’s benchmarking system, he added.
The scheme, which would cover 90% of finished pigs, is to be run and audited by an
independent body and funded though a levy. It will be piloted this month and available all over the UK in the spring.
Pig farming expert Nick White said improving health and welfare could be key to helping the UK pig sector recover. “Pig production is a biological system where we cope with much greater variation than would be acceptable in most industries,” he said.
The UK had a breeding sow population of about 500,000 in June, down from 784,000 in 1994. But this figure has stabilised, said Sloyan.
At present the number of pigs slaughtered per sow is around 17.5, a figure described as “scary” by Hans Aarestrup, director of Danish pig producers’ organisation Danske Svineproducenter. The equivalent figure in Denmark is around 23.
However, Sloyan believed an extra 1,000,000 pigs could be produced in the UK annually at marginal cost to farmers.
“It shouldn’t just be about cutting costs,” he said. “It’s about defending our market position. We need to keep up the pressure on imports, 70% of which would be illegal if they were produced here.”
Richard Clarke
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