Farming trade unions have urged the government to discuss labour and supply chain issues, as the national pig herd has lost 10% of all sows over the last six months.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and National Pig Association (NPA) have written a joint statement to DEFRA secretary George Eustice, urging a summit to these issues.
According to the NPA, an estimated 35,000 healthy pigs have been killed but the number of unreported cases would make the number much higher.
READ MORE: Farmers warn government to “act now” against food supply chain crisis
The crisis comes as farmers were forced to start killing animals to make space and ensure welfare for their livestock after weeks of warning.
In October 2021, farmers warned there was a backlog of around 120,000 pigs stuck on farms who should have gone to slaughter.
The situation was exasperated over Christmas due to staff taking holidays and isolating with Covid.
Additionally, the government’s post-Brexit support measures in autumn which allowed temporary visas to have not eased the supply chain crisis.
The NFU and NPA have called on Eustice to simplify the visa application process as the NPA noted only 13% of workers on the 800 temporary visas have travelled to Britain.
The letter states: “the NPA and NFU are asking that you urgently arrange a summit of the entire pig supply chain so that we can agree a plan to get these pigs off farms and onto people’s plates,”
“We are aware of 40 independent farms that have left the industry already.”
The call to DEFRA adds: “All of these factors are taking a huge toll on farmers’ mental health as the crisis worsens every week, especially for those having to endure the trauma of culling healthy animals when there seems to be no end in sight.”
Click here to sign up to Grocery Gazette’s free daily email newsletter
