OINK IF YOU BUY LOCAL
RIVERHAVEN Enterprises coowner and pig farmer Mark McLean sees opportunities to grow business but wants consumers to show stronger support for the local pork industry.
“Following the drought and record beef and lamb prices, we see great opportunity to grow pork sales,” Mr McLean says.
“If the demand in Australian pork continues to grow, markets will require more supply and if more Australian local product is used in smallgoods, ham and bacon, it is likely that there could be a greater demand.”
Most of the ham and bacon consumed in Australia is imported. Almost half comes in from the US while the rest is divided between Europe, predominantly the Netherlands and Denmark, and Canada.
”Imports are a great challenge to Australian agricultural sectors,” Mr McLean said.
“From a livestock perspective, we face the impact of imported frozen pork being processed into ham and bacon, which is often at very low prices and sets a low base for that segment of the market.”
But COVID-19 has led to a groundswell of support for local manufacturers and industry.
“We’ve seen an increase in demand for local produce within Australia, which in turn is supporting local communities and jobs within our regions as well as metro areas.”
About 80 per cent of farming revenue at Riverhaven, northeast of Adelaide, is generated by its pig farming, says Mr McLean, who took over in 2010, continuing his father Rob McLean’s work, which began in 1967.
He supplies major pork processing plants in South Australia on a weekly basis and they prepare the pork for buyers such as supermarkets, butcher shops, restaurants and smallgoods producers.