Is this the end for small-scale pig farming?

Image source, Dan BoltonImage caption, Dan Bolton has been breeding saddlebacks for almost a decade

"This is a record low," said Dan Bolton, a pig farmer from north Dorset.

Bolton, who has farmed rare breed saddlebacks in Fontmell Magna for nearly a decade, recently sold nine, seven-week-old piglets at market for just £2 each.

"If this carries on, it will be the end of the road for many UK pig farmers, even the larger guys," he said.

Bolton's fears are echoed by many across the farming industry. According to the National Pig Association (NPA), which represents commercial producers, demand for pork is falling and independent producers are selling up.

Bolton used to rear 150 pigs at a time, selling meat boxes and hog roasts, but rising feed, slaughter and butchery costs have forced him to scale back.

He now sells his remaining outdoor-bred piglets at market, usually for less than £10 each.

After drawing up his latest invoice, the market in question took pity on Bolton, waiving its commission, but he was still left with a bill of £6.30.

Image source, Dan BoltonImage caption, Saddleback pigs are a native rare breed in the UK

"I think they were shocked," he said.

"At best I was expecting £5 each, but at £2 it was… well, a pack of bacon costs more than that."

He said selling piglets privately was "a bit better" but fewer people were rearing them.

"You have to keep rare breeds two or three months longer than commercial breeds," he said.

"I go to a few markets and it's not just the rare breeds [fetching low prices], it's the commercial breeds too."

Image source, Silverbirch HerdImage caption, Lissy Carr's family breeds saddlebacks and British landrace pigs

Lissie Carr's family breeds and rears pedigree saddlebacks and British landrace pigs in Sturminster Newton, taking them to shows and selling to smallholders and fellow breeders.

She said: "We don't rely on it for an income. Rearing non-commercial rare breeds is tough and you don't often see the reward for it.

"[If this continues] we will see rare and native breeds dying out.

"We need to maybe eat less meat but better-quality meat, produced in the UK.

"Money is exceptionally tight for so many but, by changing our buying habits and being more selective, we can all support smaller and higher welfare producers."

Image source, Jane MathewsImage caption, Jane Mathews of the British Pig Association says the UK is walking into a food crisis

The British Pig Association (BPA), which holds the register of 14 pedigree breeds, said smallholders were less likely to buy piglets to fatten in winter and this year's dry summer and failed crops had also added to feed and bedding costs.

BPA trustee Jane Mathews said: "For small-scale pedigree breeders, the issues are really serious. If we lose our native, pedigree breeds, they cannot be replaced.

"The UK is walking into a food crisis. We need joined-up thinking – cross-party work – to save the industry, not just the pig sector but British farming full-stop, small and large scale."

Mathews said commercial producers were also being affected by cheap imports, reared to lower standards, "flooding the market".

Image source, National Pig AssociationImage caption, Katie Jarvis said demand for pork among consumers was falling

Katie Jarvis, chief policy adviser for the NPA, said British processors were ending some long-term contracts with commercial farmers, leaving them to sell their animals on the open market where prices were low.

"Imports have not increased – it's happening because there is no demand," she said.

"Combine that with feed costs, fuel costs – these are linked to the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East.

"We are aware of several producers selling up. It's incredibly damaging because, when they leave, they are unlikely to come back into it."

The NPA said retail data showed consumers were increasingly favouring chicken over pork, and a fall in demand for bacon and sausages may be "due to some of the health messages around nitrates".

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