Virus threat and cull-sow problems for pigs

By Peter Crichton

THERE are still a large number of unanswered questions as far as the future of the UK Pig Industry is concerned.

The re-emergence of foot-and-mouth in the Settle area of North Yorkshire has raised fears that the virus could find its way into the national pig herd via sheep, which seem to be able to carry the disease without necessarily displaying all the symptoms.

Up to now, the pig-dense areas of Humberside and Eastern Yorkshire have remained largely free of foot-and-mouth outbreaks, and the same applies to East Anglia.

If foot-and-mouth spreads to these main pig production areas, the results could be catastrophic for producers, slaughterers and allied trades.

More uncertainty also faces the cull sow market.

Although a limited number of sows are still being moved at 25-30p/kg deadweight (according to specification), producers are reluctant to enter them into the Welfare Slaughter Scheme, where per-head prices are capped at 30.

The National Pig Association (NPA) has, however, been applying pressure on MAFF to apply for exceptional market support for cull sows.

There are signs that some form of cull-sow market support scheme will be announced shortly after the election.

Although there is no indication of likely price levels, the signs are that this will be less than the average continental cull-sow price, reported as 120-130/head.

NPA producer group chairman Stewart Houston has claimed that the heavy pig market is also being adversely affected by a glut of cheap sow meat.

NPA and the British Pig Executive are pressing for a cull sow “purchase for destruction” scheme, rather than intervention or price support arrangements.

The latter would still leave the problem of shifting the product on an over-supplied market.

A cull-sow destruction scheme would allow the home market to absorb shoulders and bellies, which up to now had been exported in significant volumes.

This view was supported by Mick Sloyan of the MLC.

He has claimed that the extra pigmeat on the UK market has a knock-on effect as far as other, more saleable, parts of the carcass such as legs and loins are concerned.

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

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