Swill feeders close en masse

By Peter Crichton

SWILL producers have all been banned from feeding catering waste which has been in contact with meat or meat products with effect from 24 May.

This has led to the shutdown of 74 swill feeders in the UK, many of whom are reported to be finding it difficult to source replacement feed at an economic price and which suits their feeding systems.

MAFF has also put procedures in place to prevent swill feeders taking waste direct to landfill.

They are required to obtain the appropriate Registered Waste Carrier approval, and be subject to local planning and environmental controls, which up to now have not been needed for agriculturally related activities.

Announcements are also anxiously awaited concerning any relaxation of the export restrictions, which the NPA has been pressing for over a number of weeks.

Once again, however, the re-emergence of foot-and-mouth in Yorkshire may put back the timetable for exporters, with July seen as the earliest possible date.

• Peter Crichton is a Suffolk-based pig farmer offering independent valuation and consultancy services to the UK pig industry
  

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