Double whammy too much to take

22 February 2002




Double whammy too much to take

THE double blow of swine fever and foot-and-mouth movement restrictions hit one East Anglian pig farming business so hard they have had to close the unit.

Ian Passmore and his son Timothy spent 18 years developing their pig business, but the industrys bleak prospects led them to abandon all hope of saving the business through investment in new buildings and an increase in the herd size.

Mr Passmore, of Willow Hall, Thwaite, Suffolk, said: "I dont like to see nearly 20 years work going down the drain but the situation is untenable. We are being forced out of business by the problems in the pig industry."

A study by ADAS carried out two years ago suggested that £82,000 was needed to repair or replace existing buildings and a further £97,000 to increase the size of the herd from 200 to 300 breeding sows.

But after being hit by livestock movement restrictions in the swine fever and F&M outbreaks, the Passmores decided to close the unit down. The last pigs are due to leave the site in August.

Timothy, who also works as a farm consultant, said the decision to close the pig unit had been disappointing but inevitable as the situation was "economically hopeless".

He believes the government needed to introduce measures to ensure UK farmers were protected from unfair competition and felt the pig industry had to perform better in terms of marketing and building links with consumers.


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