Cull of pigs is ‘criminal waste’
A PIG farmer has said it is “criminal” that she faces the prospect of culling animals and dumping them in landfill within weeks while some people are struggling to feed their families.
Kate Morgan said that, unless the Government acts to solve the shortage of butchers in processing plants by issuing short-term visas for foreign workers, she may have to cull pigs on her East Yorkshire farm before the end of the month.
Ms Morgan said: “This is just criminal. There are people starving in this world. Even in this country, there are people who can’t feed their families, yet Boris [Johnson] is quite happy to let us waste good healthy food – healthy protein he’s prepared to put in the bin. We’re desperate for Boris to listen to us.”
With her sister, Vicky, Ms Morgan is the second generation of her family to farm pigs near Driffield. The farm has 1,700 breeding sows and they sell about 90,000 pigs a year, but she said the number of pigs leaving for processing has dropped by 25% in the last 11 weeks.
Her story echoes warnings from East Devon pig farmer Andrew Freemantle, the South West’s representative on the National Pig Association. Although his operation at Kenniford Farm, near Exeter, is so far unaffected as he processes and markets his own pigs, he warned the impact of the crisis could be catastrophic for other farmers.
Ms Morgan said the 12-month cycle of pig breeding means they cannot “just turn off the tap” and she already has animals in buildings they would not normally be put in. Asked how long it will be before they have to consider culling, she said: “I spent quite a lot of time looking at it yesterday, which was quite emotional, but I think, by the end of October, we will be really struggling to the point it’s inevitable. We’re speaking to other producers all the time and everyone’s in the same boat.
“This has never happened in any country before. No country has ever thrown away good, wholesome food. It’s just absolutely horrendous. Financially, we’re seriously hit at the moment. We’re losing money every day, but that’s not even our biggest worry.
“Our biggest worry is the emotional part of it – the welfare of the animals. We care for and nurture these animals, we breed them to feed the nation, we don’t breed them to go into landfill. Boris need to be thinking about the welfare of farmers as well, because it’s really dire.”
A demonstration by pig farmers was staged at the Conservative Party conference on Monday.