MARCH 5, 2008: Britain’s struggling pig producers descended on Whitehall yesterday ina call for fairer prices.
The rally, organised by the National Pig Association (NPA), saw around 400 protesters gathered outside Downing Street.A petition was also handed to the Prime Minister with over 13,000 signatures supporting the campaign.BPEX chairman Stuart Houston said: “”We have reached crisis point. Without an increase, farmers stand to lose approximately £200 million in the next year and many face the prospect of going out of business.“Then consumers will lose the choice to buy higher welfare Quality Standard Mark pork, bacon and ham.”The rally saw support from members of the public as well as MPs who were invited to meet the farmers and discuss the industry’s problems.The farmers claim that rocketing feed prices are destroying the industry, with cheap imports undercutting British reared pork, forcing thousands of farmers to quit the industry.The rally was attended by a large contingent of young farmers, keen to show their support for the industry’s future.In the Commons itself, the aptly-named Richard Bacon MP tabled an early day motion today calling for higher prices for British pork and for the Government to wake up to the crisis in the industry.Industry leaders are now calling on other MPs to support Mr Bacon and put pressure on supermarkets to raise prices and secure the industry’s future.
