The NPA has called for a support package for independent pig producers in what it described as a ‘constructive’ meeting with food security minister Stephen Morgan on Wednesday.
NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson and chair Jo Churchill highlighted the desperate situation facing the industry and set out some key asks to Mr Morgan and senior Defra officials at the department’s headquarters in London.
The key elements of the support package the NPA has requested include:
- Financial support for independent producers hit hardest by the current market turmoil.
- Support in helping to drive more British pigmeat sales in the foodservice sector.
- Commitments to prioritise British pigmeat in government procurement policies.
- A review of the Fair Dealing Obligation (Pigs) regulations to ensure they provide sufficient protection for producers.
- Measures under the Agriculture Act around data collection to improve forecasting in the pork supply chain.
Afterwards, Lizzie said the NPA welcomed Mr Morgan’s willingness to meet and his clear commitment to continuing a dialogue into the future.
“We highlighted the desperate state our pig sector, once again, finds itself in and set out a strong case for government support,” she said.
“The support package we have proposed includes measures to address the pig sector’s immediate challenges, alongside medium- to longer-term measures to try and ensure we don’t end up back here again.
“The minister has now asked us to come back with more detailed proposals. Everyone will have seen the Scottish government’s £2m support package for independent pig producers, announced last week. While we appreciate the circumstances in Scotland are different, we very much hope Defra will follow suit with some much-needed meaningful support for the pig sector.”
Jo, a former MP, added: “This meeting went as well as it possibly could have done. The minister certainly showed a willingness to listen and hear our case.
“We will now go back to him as soon as possible with firm details setting out how the government can help ensure the long-term viability of the pig sector. We look forward to further positive engagement with the department.”
Commons debates
The NPA requested a meeting with Defra minister Dame Angela Eagle at the end of May before she was replaced by Mr Morgan in the role in a ministerial reshuffle in June.
Mr Morgan initially agreed to meet the NPA in September, but brought the meeting forward after he became aware of the turmoil within the pig sector after MPs who had been briefed by the NPA put pressure on him to act during Defra questions on Thursday and Tuesday’s Westminster Hall debate.
MPs from across the political spectrum urged the government to take action to support independent pig farmers in the current ‘crisis’, in the House of Commons on Tuesday, repeatedly citing the NPA’s analysis of the situation and calls for support.
Responding, Mr Morgan stressed that the Government ‘will continue to engage with the industry as it responds to the challenges it faces’, adding that he had ‘prioritised’ meeting with the NPA. “I hope tomorrow is the start of that relationship,” he said.