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Pig farmers may become a scarce breed - The Daily Telegraph
The traditional British banger could become a luxury food item because of a growing crisis in pig farming, industry leaders have warned.
Pig farmers say they face huge increases in the price of feed at a time when the value of there animals has plummeted following the recent foot and mouth outbreak.
They warn that unless supermarkets raise prices and feed the money back to producers, there will be a wide-spread disappearance of pig farmers.
In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, Stephen Curtis, the chief executive of the leading pig breeders ACMC, said:"Unless action is taken quickly, we're likely to see a mass exodus."
The Natioal Pig Association (NPA) estimates that farmers lose £26 for every pig they produce. Mr Curtis said that he recently sent six boars to cull, and recieved an average price of only £2.99 per boar, or 2p per kilogram. Before foot and mouth they would have been expected to fetch £60 for each animal, he said.
In contrast, a packet of Sainsbury's pork sausages costs 88p for 454g, a price of £1.94 per kilogram. An eight pack of unsmoked back bacon costs £1.88 or £7.52 per kilogram.
Another problem is feed, which accounts for up to 70 per cent of costs and has in price by more than 50 per cent. An NPA survey last month showed that many pig farmers are condisering quitting the business. It estimated the country's 1,400 pig farms are losing £3.6 million a week.
A study published last week by the World Cancer Research Fund found that processed meats such as bacon and sausages are linked to cancer.
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