Farming News - Farmers want stores to charge more as they 'can't sustain £8-a-pig losses'
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Farmers want stores to charge more as they 'can't sustain £8-a-pig losses'
They are backing a national call to food processors and supermarkets for price increases on pig and poultry products.
More needs to be paid for pork, bacon and chicken to combat losses caused by soaring animal feed costs, they warn.
Struggling East Yorkshire pig farmers are again losing money on every pig they produce, as they did three years ago.
The warning has come from the British Pig Executive, which is calling on the food industry to help farmers survive the latest crisis.
Large-scale pig farmer Joe Dewhirst, of Yorkwold Pigpro, Driffield, said: "Prices must increase because at the moment producers are losing about £8 a pig.
"The problem has been caused by worldwide prices going through the roof for wheat and soya – the main ingredients of pig feed.
"Pig prices need to recover soon because we can't sustain these losses and some producers will be forced out of business."
Pig farming and pork processing is one of East Yorkshire's biggest rural industries, employing thousands of people and pumping millions of pounds into the rural economy.
Mr Dewhirst said: "We need the support of supermarkets and shoppers to buy British pork, bacon and sausages.
"Pig farmers are not prepared to lose a lot of money as they did three years ago and I know of some who are already planning to quit. We will hang on in there, but we could lose a lot of good men along the way."
Poultry farmers are also vulnerable to feed prices, but their investment cycles are shorter than those for pork, so can react to events more quickly.
The National Farmers' Union said high feed prices were costing farmers an extra 5p per dozen eggs and more than 12p a chicken.
Supermarket giant Asda said it recognised rises in input costs had affected farmers and that was part of ongoing discussions.