Pig producers ‘quitting the industry’ as losses mount

Pig producers are quitting the industry or cutting down on numbers because they can not sustain losses any longer, the National Pig Association (NPA) has warned.

The government has been repeatedly called on to take immediate action to address the labour crisis crippling the food and farming sector.

This chronic shortage of labour affecting meat processing plants across the country is causing a growing backlog of pigs on farms.

Currently, there is an estimated 85,000 extra pigs on farms, a number increasing by approximately 15,000 per week and farmers are running out of space fast.

The sector has taken a battering over the past year, as a ‘perfect storm’ of Covid-19, Brexit and record costs of production has already forced some to quit the industry.

While empty shelves are becoming commonplace and Christmas specialities such as pigs in blankets under threat, the knock-on effect of the staff shortages is having a devastating effect on pig farmers, the NPA warned.