Pig farmers launch film as part of fight for fairer prices

A new documentary series looking at the crisis in pig farming was launched at a special screening at the House of Lords yesterday (Wednesday).

The short series, An Inconvenient Trough is produced by a group of pig farmers from across the UK, highlighting the struggles the pig industry has faced over the past year due to escalating feed prices.

The video, which can be viewed on www.pigsareworthit.com, focuses on pig farmers’ fight for fairer prices and their battle to save the industry.

And despite retail pork prices rising by around £1.60, only about 26p of this has reached farmers. At the height of the crisis producers were losing on average £26 a pig, with the industry losing more than £150 million over the past year. This has resulted in the UK breeding herd declining by 7%.

Part one of An Inconvenient Trough focuses on the supply chain from farm to supermarkets and butchers, with part two looking at the food service sector and part three the public sector purchasing pork products.