I made a comment as the pig sector was recovering from Covid that we, as an industry, were at a crossroads. That crossroads has led us to a precipice! And an exceedingly steep one at that.
We are approaching October, when many independent pig producers’ pig supply contracts will come to an end. Sadly, I gather, there are some who have no abattoir for those non-contract pigs – a horrendous thought that will no doubt have ramifications for all independents.
To add to the mix, we have processors picking up extremely cheap pigs due to imports where they can. These processors are on an addiction trail of cheap product to satisfy the needs of the government’s determination to ‘help the cost-of-living crisis’. This must be the most overused quote from any political party for years.
Of course, we all know it won’t last for ever – it never does – but, in the meantime, the once-proud pig industry is being dragged through the mire and is heading for a terminal decline, especially north of the border.
Critical mass
In Scotland, the number of independent producers left is now down in the 20s, with the critical mass almost gone. Over the next few months, there are going to be some seriously hard financial decisions made. I suspect that if the cull sow trade was to improve, those decisions would be easier to make.
Sadly, our last cull sows after all deductions reached the grand total of £7.80/head – all the more galling when you see cast ewes making more than £200/head. You can see how these guys can pay about £300/head for gimmers.
When you review all this, you wonder why we are putting ourselves through all this grief? Well, I came into this industry aged 17 with empty pockets, and through sheer hard work, a lot of help and absolute determination, I am where I am. I’m damned if any two-bit politician – or, in fact, any grey-suited processor – is going to beat me!
Sow slaughtering will, I have no doubt, gather pace. The vertical integrators are now doing their sums, especially in Scotland. If you add the turmoil in Denmark, there might just be a requirement for the independents, if we can tough it out.
Harvest woes
Harvest has not helped my good nature – when the rest of the country was basking in sunshine, we were being drowned out. One day in June we had 40mm of rain in three hours.
With our normal weather pattern, we are usually first in the area to combine, but this year we were the last. To be fair, it’s a good crop, yielding well, but we were still trying to finish it off in mid-September. We have straw lying, with more than half to bale.
It is vital we get this in a dry condition. We use high-density square bales, and damp straw ends up like concrete and gives the added problem of mould.
To add even more to my stress levels, we have been experiencing a horrendous run of breakdowns, including our main tractor gearbox and oil pump, as well as the combine bearings, almost certainly caused by trying to cut when it’s too damp. In the pigs, our wet feeding system, sadly, is getting tired.
Just for good measure our mobile mill started playing up. The common denominator in all these pieces of equipment is that, in normal times, they would have all been replaced in a rotation by now. Not a chance at the moment.
As a pig industry in Scotland, maybe because there are so few of us, we speak to each other. Could this be why, from a pig point, we are as healthy as we have ever been?
If there is an issue, we are instantly informed. One saviour we have created is a phone group, which for obvious reasons remains highly confidential. These calls are refreshingly thought-provoking.
Even in my early 70s, I remember back to my school days, when my music master gave me two pieces of advice: You don’t write a cheque for good manners, and if you are told something in confidence, you tell no-one!
Incidentally, my maths teacher could never understand how I didn’t understand algebra but could count columns of money.
Pre-Christmas is going to be challenging, but remember, every single member of the population requires a farmer. There is a day coming when we will be appreciated – I only hope it’s not too late for the Scottish pig industry.