UK pig industry fights for survival

By Peter Crichton

ALTHOUGH MAFF is claiming that the source of the original foot-an-mouth outbreak is imported meat in the swill chain, only a very small percentage of the infected animals has included UK pigs.

The main pig production regions of the UK, in East Anglia and the north east, remain relatively clear of outbreaks.

With the UK breeding-sow herd now estimated to be 570,000 head, there is a total of approximately six million pigs currently “at risk” if foot-and-mouth enters the UK herd.

Producers in these uninfected areas are taking all possible precautions against further spread and, now the welfare slaughter scheme is under way, are hoping that numbers building up on overstocked units will start to clear.

Unfortunately, because of the estimated 1.5 million animals offered under the scheme, most of which are sheep, pig producers are currently faced with very scarce opportunities to start moving their stock to these Intervention Board outlets.

The NPA is also concerned in case any Intervention Board abattoirs in “clean” areas are used to handle stock from infected regions of the country, which is where the welfare problems have been the most extensive.

The scheme has however given producers some hope that in the next few weeks they may start to be able to move livestock off their overstocked units and start to make inroads into the backlog of cull sows that has built up.

Because of the lack of any export trade, the cull-sow market has virtually collapsed and the 6000-head weekly kill has slumped to about 1000 sows being used for the home market.

Former export abattoirs are now quoting prices of 30-35p/kg Euro-dressed, which is equivalent to no more than 40-50 for the average sow.

Cull boars are proving to be completely unsaleable and on-farm disposal is the only option for those producers unable to qualify for the welfare slaughter scheme.

Although finished-pig marketing has been disrupted by the foot-and-mouth outbreak, prices have to some extent almost held their ground with the GB AESA quoted at 94.17p, only 1p/kg higher than the same quote a year ago.

A limited number of weaners are being traded, with 30kg price quotes mainly falling into the 34-38/head bracket and 7kg pigs traded between 20-26/head, according to region and quality.

With two “short” weeks ahead, demand is expected to exceed supply, but pig marketeers are pointing to a potential shortage of UK pigs in the period after Easter.

The effects of PDNS and PMWS are still hitting East Anglian and Yorkshire herds, and numbers of finished pigs forecast on a forward basis continue to decline.

If foot-and-mouth restrictions in Holland continue to limit imports from that country, UK producers could reap the benefit, according to meat traders.

However, the main priority remains to try and retain disease-free status in the uninfected areas of the UK, as scientists have warned if a significant number of pig herds become infected in pig-dense areas, the virus will spread like wildfire.

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