Farmers Weekly poster supports pig farmers
Farmers Weekly has produced a campaign poster to highlight the misery of struggling pig farmers across the country.
The poster is available to download from Farmers Weekly’s website (below) or can be found on the inside back cover of Farmers Weekly magazine which is out on Friday (27 July).
Rocketing feed costs and poor retail prices are threatening the livelihoods of pig producers, who like dairy farmers have long suffered from the effects of a dysfunctional supply chain.
Feed accounts for around 70% of the cost of producing a pig. However, soaring feed costs mean many pig producers are making substantial losses on every pig they sell.
Since Christmas, the price of soya meal, an important source of protein in pig rations, has risen from £290-295/t – to £400/t and spot wheat is trading at £200/t. This translates to production costs of about £1.75/kg deadweight, compared with a current pig price of £1.50/kg deadweight.
In short, many are losing 20p/kg or about £18-20 on each pig they sell. A typical breeder, producing 23 pigs per year per sow, is losing up to £460 per year, per sow.
Crippling feed costs in tandem with poor prices being paid for pigmeat is saddling pig farmers with huge losses. Many are struggling to survive and some of the best are even going out of business.
As a result, Farmers Weekly is calling for a significant and immediate increase in the farmgate price paid for pigs and pig meat to mitigate spiraling feed prices.
Pig producers simply cannot go on losing £18 per pig sold. Action must be taken now to stop this cost-feed squeeze.
Download a PDF of your choice of posters below.
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| Download this poster | Download this poster |