Key issues
Challenges facing the British farmer today.
Pork plays a huge part in the British diet, second only to chicken. The list of pork products stocked by the average supermarket is huge; bacon, sausages, ham, pies, gammon, Scotch eggs and even ice cream! Check the label if you don’t believe me!
Increasingly less of the pork we eat is raised in Britain and more and more of it is being imported from Europe where minimum welfare standards are lower. This means that the cost of the meat is lower because more animals can be produced in less space. Staggeringly, nearly 70% of pork products sold in Britain contain pork that has been farmed in a way that is illegal here.
While consumers and supermarkets demand cheaper meat British farmers are priced out of the market by their EU counterparts. As a result farmers in this country are rapidly going out of business and in the last 10 years the UK breeding herd has halved.
Q&A with Fred
Fred is a pig farmer who lost his business.
How long have you been a pig farmer and how did you get into it?
My dad had a small farm so I had a few pigs when I was at school 46 years ago. I went to college then worked on other pig farms for 8 years before starting pigs properly at the same time as I married.What are the key factors that have lead you to close your farm?
I moved the pigs to a new site about 14 years ago and just got things going nicely but then prices collapsed, foot and mouth disease did not hit me but caused big problems, rules and regulations increased dramatically and most importantly the low pig prices lasted for far too long. I stopped breeding and fattening my own pigs but still had the buildings they were kept in, so recently I have been paid a rent to look after someone else’s pigs. I suppose I will retire soon as none of my family will want to farm as they have seen what has happened to me.What has the impact been on the wider farming community?
Nationally pig numbers have more than halved due to little or no profit. Locally at least 30 farms (big ones with thousands of pigs, small ones with a few hundred) now have no pigs. A few have diversified into farm shops, farmers markets etc but not everyone can do so. I believe one farmer does not have pigs now but buys in his meat. The local livestock market sells a fraction of the pigs it did and that was a meeting place for farmers. Companies and individuals who supplied pig farmers have also gone.Do you think there’s a chance that this situation could change?
The only way forward is for profits to be high enough for long enough to make a reasonable income and reinvest. Some I know still have pigs but their buildings and equipment are nearly worn out and need repairing or replacing but they do not have the money and even if they did in some cases confidence has gone so they will probably stop anyway. One or two are investing so they must be optimistic and have access to money. A question to end with - What is the difference between a professional gambler and a pig farmer? The answer - The gambler quickly knows whether his investment has made a profit or a loss, the pig farmers has to wait up to a year and work hard every day before he knows. Both need to be lucky!Q&A with Vicky Morgan
Victoria and her sister have recently become pig farmers
How did you get into pig farming?
I finished a degree in Agricultural Food Marketing and Business Studies at Harper Adams and then went travelling around the world for a year. I came home to the family farm in 2002 and have never left! Kate did something similar but went to Newcastle University and managed to travel for a lot longer before coming home last year!
Given the challenges the industry is facing at the moment, what made you decide to take on a pig farm?
I knew I wanted to be involved in the agricultural industry and although pig farming does have many challenges, it is also very rewarding. It’s hard work physically but all worth-while when you see the results coming through. It is very motivating to see the herd performing well and looking well. A frustrating part of the industry is the perception that all farmers are old and grumpy and not particularly intelligent and this is not true! Both Kate and I are members of the Young NPA and regularly meet other young pig farmers to socialise and discuss business (maybe a little more socialising than business!!) Farming is a science as well as a way of life. To get it right and remain in business you must be competitive, ahead of the game and forward thinking and most importantly passionate about what you are doing.
Do you know of many other young farmers?
We both went to agricultural universities so we know lots of people who have gone into agriculture in one way or another - there are not so many women farming but lots of friends are in related industries. We are both lucky that we had the opportunity to join a family farm and we all get on!
What do you think are the most important things jamieoliver.com users can do to help the British farmer?
The most important thing that we want to get across from Jamie's programme is the point that we produce pigs to a very high welfare standard and are proud of this. Compared to many other countries, the standard of pig production in the UK is excellent and the public need to be made aware of this. Please look for the quality standard mark and be sure that you are buying British pork!
Click here to take my Pig Pledge and help support the British Pork Farmers
