Waitrose announces £16 million package to support pig prices
Waitrose has announced a further support package for its British pork farmers worth up to £16m to ensure prices paid for pigs to cover producers’ soaring costs of production.
The retailer said the move means it will cover the full cost of rearing and producing pigs – including labour, feed, and fuel – offering its farmers financial security when others are being forced out of the sector. It stressed that the commitment ‘will not detract from our promise to provide great value for customers or our pledge to always maintain our leading welfare standards’.
Waitrose’s executive director, James Bailey, said: “Farmers are the backbone of Britain, keeping food on our tables during our country’s hour of need through a pandemic. But now, they need our help.
“This investment is a direct response to some of the most challenging conditions the pig sector has ever faced. This is not only the right thing to do, it will ensure we continue to pay our farmers a fair price while maintaining our quality and high welfare standards.
“My hope is that this will enable us to keep working with them for decades to come, but we can’t do it alone. This issue is industry-wide and we need the entire food industry and the British public to get behind us. If we don’t stand united in supporting UK pork farmers and act soon, many businesses will be lost.”
by Alistair Driver / Pig World
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