Save our bacon
Above: Kent pigs (Kent Life Magazine)
Above: Kent pigs (Kent Life Magazine)
Above: Graham Palmer, of Farmer Palmer’s Quality Meats in Smarden (Kent Life Magazine)
In a recent survey, the humble bacon butty emerged as Britain’s favourite snack. Such is our collective love of this food that each year as a nation we consume a total of 408,000 tonnes of bacon. Together with 803,000 tonnes of pork, all this adds up to an awful lot of pigs.
Despite this, our own pig industry is in crisis to the extent that many involved feel that British pig farming could be reduced to a fraction of its current size in just a few years time and that in parts of the country it could cease to exist all together.
Imports now account for more than 60 per cent of the pig meat that we buy
“We have been farming pigs for years now, but the problems facing the industry are arguably the worst I have seen, says Steve Dansey of Butterfly Meadow Farm in Whitstable.
“The main issue is the price of feed, which has gone up dramatically over the last year. Feed, which consists mainly of wheat, barley and soya, is the single biggest component in the cost of producing a pig, so if these costs rise then it makes things very difficult”
According to the British Pig Executive (BPEX), in the past year the price of wheat has more than doubled. There have also been similar rises in the costs of both cereals and soya. These increases have been caused by a number of factors, including poor harvests, increasing demand from developing countries and the global rush towards biofuels.
Passing on
The main problem with this rise in costs is the inability of the majority of producers to pass some of it onto consumers. Most pig farmers sell to slaughterhouses who then in turn sell on to supermarkets, which is where more than 75 per cent of pig meat is sold. Because they are in such as strong position in the market, the supermarkets can dictate the final price and at the moment they are committed to low prices. Producers are suffering, compelled to adapt to an environment of higher costs without higher final prices.
“If we take our meat to the slaughterhouses rather than to farm shops or Farmers’ Markets, then we always receive a much worse return,” says Hayley Lawson of James Mete & Daughters near Canterbury.
“This is particularly true at the moment. We had to take some pigs during the Christmas period and considering the amount of money that goes into rearing a pig, the amount you get for its meat from this market barely makes it worthwhile.
She adds: “In fact, there are plenty of farmers who are effectively operating at a loss right now because the prices are so low.”
The supermarkets also compound the problem through their propensity to import. We are all familiar with brands such as Danish, but many consumers might be surprised to find out that imports now account for more than 60 per cent of the pig meat that we buy.
The principal complaint of British farmers is that many of the countries from which we import have inferior standards of welfare than those adhered to in the UK. This means they have lower production costs and so can offer a lower price. The ability to access these producers gives the British supermarkets greater leverage when dealing with suppliers in the UK, enabling them to set lower and lower prices.
Many of us are better placed than most because we often sell a higher end product
Although the problems facing the industry are more acute for those selling to the supermarkets, Graham Palmer, of Farmer Palmer’s Quality Meats in Smarden, says that producers in other markets are not immune to the challenges.
“Like everyone else, we face higher costs. We buy the same grain as other, larger farms. We also suffer because of imports as these are driving down the price against which we compete.
“Many of us are better placed than most because we often sell a higher end product and we also, whether by direct sales or through sales via farmers markets, farm shops or butchers, get a greater proportion of the final cost. However, it’s still been a difficult time.”
The National Pig Association has recently launched a campaign, Pigs Are Worth It, whose aim is to help farmers get a better price and limit imports. Despite widespread support and plenty of media coverage, to date the Government remains unmoved and the only supermarket to respond to farmer’s concerns so far has been Waitrose.
Deserting the industry
The result is that an increasing number of producers are now leaving the industry; a trend illustrated by the number of sows being slaughtered every week, which in recent months has doubled from 3,500 to 7,000.
According to the BPEX, if as a consumer you want to help pig farmers, it makes sense to shop in alternative markets. Direct sales give the producer a full return on the final sale and if you buy from a local butcher or farm shop, a market in which neither retailer nor producer enjoys excessive market power, then the terms of the sale are usually more equitable for the farmer.
If you remain a supermarket shopper, then the BPEX advises buying a product with the British Meat Quality Standard Mark (QSM). All pork, gammon, bacon, ham and sausages produced under this scheme carry the distinctive QSM on the pack. This will ensure that you are at least buying produce reared here in the UK and limit the impact imports are having.
Currently, the problems facing pig farmers remain acute but, according to Stuart Doughty of SW Doughty butchers in Sittingbourne, there could be some hope on the horizon.
“Pork is a cheap meat and the increase in general food prices, specifically those of other meats might make pork more attractive to buyers,” he says. “Pork has always been one of the cheapest meats to produce and, strangely, sales of it could benefit from the way prices seem to be heading,”
Whether this will happen and whether it would be enough to help farmers remains uncertain. What is clear is that the immediate future the intolerable pressures that many producers now face are showing few signs of abating.
If this continues then the days of the country’s favourite snack being produced in Britain might well be numbered.