The last independent pig farmer in Cumbria has quit the industry, citing low pig prices and rising costs of production.
“Personally, for me, it’s time to move on. There’s no point in fighting the losing battle,” Martin Hunter told ITV News.
Before the last pigs left Orchard House Farm in April, the unit had only been rearing pigs from outside the county that lends its name to the famous Cumberland sausage. Just 10 years ago, it was home to more than 3,000 home-bred pigs.
Martin told ITV News that the pigs we were only selling for 35% more than they were in the early 1980s, but inflation has massively has massively increased his costs of production, including a recently doubling of electricity prices. For the very first time, he recently sold a lamb for more money than one of his pigs weighing five times more.
The item explored the current problems facing the pig sector and the uncertain future for many independent pig farmers, as the ownership of pigs by the big integrators has grown.
NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson stressed that pig producers need to receive a margin that allows them, not just to survive, but to reinvest in their businesses, as well. She also highlighted how the proportion of the final value of pork items going back to producers is falling, as retail prices hold firm, despite the significant drop in pig prices since August 2025.
You can view the feature HERE
Farming Today
Farming Today also recently covered the pig sector’s recent problems, including the particular difficulties facing Scottish producers.
You can listen to that HERE
In a further sign of the turbulence affecting the pig sector, The Irish Farmers Journal has reported on how the deputy president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union is in the early stages of depopulating his pig unit.