Pig crisis: Wasted backlog pork could have fed millions

More than 31m meals of pork that could have been fed to the nation have been wasted due to the pig crisis.

The figure is a Farmers Weekly calculation based on National Pig Association (NPA) official estimates on rendered pigs – now at 35,000 and counting.

Using AHDB figures on pig carcass yield, the 35,000-pig tally equates to 2.8175m tonnes, if all animals had been finished to produce a 90kg carcass yielding 80.5kg of edible pork.

See also: Farmers Weekly Podcast Episode 93: Pig crisis and muckspreading

Using NHS guidelines on meat consumption of (no more than) 90g of red meat a day, this equates to 31,274,250 meals. And the true figure of pigs welfare-killed is believed to be much higher.

The crisis is hitting some farms harder than others, with Karro producers reporting no complaints or backlog.

Industry sources say Woodheads has struggled with staff numbers and is behind, as are Pilgrims Pride, and Cranswick, which is hugely oversubscribed with pigs.

Some farmers have turned to live marketing, despite markets also finding trade difficult. Melton Mowbray market has seen numbers increase fivefold, selling close to 250 at its most recent sale.

Has a corner been turned?

Last week’s pig summit has led to reserved optimism, with government conceding the unfairness of the crisis, said the NPA. Pig producers are losing money due to supply chain issues out of their control, while being locked into contracts which are, in some cases, not even in writing.

Measures agreed by the government include changes in pork intervention storage, pork marketing, promotion, and slaughtering capacity.

But no commitment from Defra has come on compensation packages such as those in Scotland, Northern Ireland, France and other EU countries.   

Throughout the industry there remains a concern that the sector will shed more producers, leading to further horizontal and vertical integration.

It is believed 40 or more devastated pig farmers have been forced out of business over the past six months. The toll on farmers’ mental health has been heavy.

Many say costs have risen to 175-180p/kg following increases in energy, feed and general across-the-board inflation. The standard pig price has slumped to 135p/kg.

Analysts stress low-priced European pork continues to enter the UK for under 120p/kg, pressuring the UK SPP further.  

A supermarket monitoring initiative has been relaunched to highlight examples of British supermarkets stocking British pork and discourage them from stocking imported meat.

To get involved, farmers are urged to take pictures and share them on social media using the hashtag #PorkReport.