Plans for pig cull and render service forced to stop
© Tim Scrivener An off-farm cull and render service first announced on 28 October has had to be abandoned.
The scheme, announced by the AHDB, was designed to help producers struggling with backlogs of pigs due to supply chain issues.
It was set to be funded by £20,000 from the pork levy and was due to run for three to four months, with capacity for up to 3,000 mature pigs a week.
See also: Pig health and welfare underpin herd expansion
The cull and render service was unable to go ahead due to legal restrictions and concerns about the service taking place in the same location as a licensed meat business.
Will Jackson, AHDB divisional director of engagement, said: “The off-farm cull and render option we were exploring to help mitigate the effect of the challenging situation our pork levy payers are experiencing is unfortunately not able to proceed.
“The AHDB is now exploring other potential off-farm culling options with Defra and the industry, and will continue to look for solutions for our levy payers during an extremely challenging time for the sector.”
MPs promise supply chain scrutiny for pig sector
An increased political focus on reform in the pig sector is anticipated in the new year.
Defra farming minister Victoria Prentis was questioned on 1 December in the House of Commons in relation to progress on dairy contracts and supply chain reform.
Mrs Prentis said in response: “On dairy, yes, we consulted, and one of my first acts when I joined Defra was to ensure that we did that work on the dairy supply chain.
“That is coming to fruition, and I thank all dairy farmers involved in that work. It has been a difficult and sensitive piece of work. I hope we will be in a position to regulate next year, and pigs are definitely next on the list in terms of supply chains.”
This follows on from a statement on 30 November in which Mrs Prentis said: “On 14 October, the government announced a package of measures to support the pig industry and to seek to reduce the animal welfare implications of pigs backing up on farms.”
“The government will continue to monitor the evolving situation and work closely with the industry through this challenging period.”
Efra committee
Neil Parish MP, chairman of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) committee, has promised to look at fairness in the supply chain for the pig sector.
Talking at a National Pig Association event on 7 December, Mr Parish said: “It is clear we need to get support directly to the farmers themselves. There has been some support for processors, but not enough for farmers.
“It’s not the farmers’ responsibility to have the labour in the slaughterhouses to slaughter their pigs, and yet they are the ones who are suffering low prices for their pigs because of a lack of processing, alongside very high cereal and feed costs.”
Mr Parish said “In the new year, we will look at the retailers, at where they are buying their pork and whether they are taking advantage of the situation. We must not let that happen, because we need great British producers – the retailers like to make much of the fact that they have British pork on their shelves, so they have to stand up and support the industry when they need it.”