Second chance for pig leavers
1 May 2001
Second chance for pig leavers
By Alistair Driver
PIG producers whose applications to quit the industry were rejected by the Pig Industry Outgoers Scheme may yet be successful, a farm leader has claimed.
Only 432 out of 1237 farmers successfully applied to leave the industry under the scheme. They will receive a share of 10.6 million, the government has said.
But some rejected farmers may be successful in another round of applications which has just closed, said to Ian Campbell of the National Pig Association.
Even so, more than 100 pig producers who had successfully applied for grants under the scheme may be unable to afford to quit farming, Mr Campbell warned.
Some 25% of successful applicants had planned to leave the industry on the expectation of receiving 100 for each sow culled in addition to the grant, he said.
Prices have halved in the wake of the foot-and-mouth crisis which has seen British farmers unable to export meat and livestock for more than two months.
Farmers selling up would now be retiring with a lot less money than they had anticipated, said Mr Campbell. Some may decide they cannot afford to leave.
“It remains to be seen whether they will now be able to quit the industry.”
A farmer with 1000 sows would leave the industry with about 50,000 less than he would had he culled his stock before the foot-and-mouth crisis.
The governments outgoers scheme is part of a three-year 66m initiative to restructure Britains pig industry and make it more competitive.
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