Pilgrim’s UK has improved its offer to farmers from other sectors looking to diversify and move into finishing pigs, promising them a steady monthly income.
Mark Jagger, BQP’s assistant grower farms manager, and BQP colleagues attended the large Cereals and Groundswell events in June to highlight the benefits to visitors of finishing pigs alongside their core enterprises.
Speaking to Pig World at the Cereals event, he said there had been a lot of interest, with at least two new builds likely to come out of the show.
“The arable sector is looking for diversification projects. With basic payments dropping off, they are having to find new enterprises, and finishing pigs brings this opportunity to the family farm,” he said.
“We offer new builds and conversions and, recently, partly as a result of the effects of avian flu, we have converted some old poultry buildings and are getting really good performance.”
Range of prospects
BQP has been offering pig-rearing contracts for 40 years. It supplies pigs, feed, transport, field staff support and other services and the farmer supplies buildings, labour, straw and other farm costs. It is looking for more finishers to help it grow the business, offering a wide range of contracts and highlighting the stable income it brings.
“The basic offer has changed and will probably change again,” Mr Jagger said. “The new ownership feels the strong need for more pig farms supplying the abattoirs through BQP.
“They want the cost-efficiencies that new builds and conversions can bring – for example, smaller pen size as opposed to large yards to improve feed efficiency. And they want to invest in British agriculture.”
Farmers are paid about £3 per pig place per month. On top of this, there are various bonuses, covering, for example, vaccination, split-sexing and feed conversion targets.
The new-build package, depending on a matrix of where you are in the country in relation to the abattoir and the feed mills, pays at least £4.50 per pig place for 13 batches. There is also a building conversion payment.
“It is a six-year contract. These arable guys are looking for longevity and they get a guaranteed return,” Mr Jagger added.