Outdoor pig products fly off Tesco shelves

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST supermarket is looking to recruit more outdoor pig farmers to cater for run-away pork sales.

Since Tesco introduced a range of premium outdoor-bred pork products in April, demand has grown much faster for expected.

The retailer believes the attraction for consumers is the welfare-friendly nature of the meat.

“Outdoor bred pork is proving to be a real hit with customers,” said Steve Murrells, Tesco commercial director.

“Sales are well ahead of plan and we are confident of sustained growth over the next 12 months.

“Given that outdoor bred pork is proving so popular we will make every effort to grow the market further so as many British pig farmers as possible can benefit.”

The premium paid by Tesco customers is passed back to producers, the retailer insisted.

And it believes sales will double over the next year, so a third more producers are required.

Stewart Houston, chief executive of the National Pig Association also welcomed the news.

“Strong sales of outdoor bred pork help to secure a premium market for British Pig Farmers and means they can differentiate their product.

“We look forward to working with Tesco in the future to see how we can share this success with more British farmers.”

Tesco says 90% of its pork comes from UK farms.