Home
News
last update:May 27, 2008
Crisis times for British pig industry
The British pig industry is having serious problems, according to a report
published in the Daily Mail.
The report suggests that the crisis is more serious than foot-and-mouth
disease. Pig farmers recovered from foot-and-mouth because there was still a
living to be made in rearing pigs, but this is now changing.
Price Rises
Overheads associated with pig production have
all sky-rocketed, including animal feed which accounts for nearly 60 per cent of
the bills. Raising fuel prices and the collapse of the Australian harvest and
the growth of biofuel crops have also played their parts.
Last summer, the average retail price of pork in the major chains was £4.86
per kilo. Today, it is £5.90 per kilo - more than £1 extra. The retail
industry spin is that these price rises are all down to global forces.
Imports
British supermarkets are now being stocked with
imported pork products where inferior welfare standards apply. At present, most
foreign animals are raised in conditions which would be illegal in the
UK.
Related website
•
Daily Mail
Subscribe here to the free
Pig Progress newsletter
Editor PigProgress
To comment, login here
Or register to be able to comment.