British pork

The story so far

British pigs and the farmers responsible for our home-produced pork have hogged the limelight somewhat of late. The plight of British pigs and pig farmers and the problems they face in competing against cheaper imports have been highlighted by Jamie Oliver and the RSPCA.

In 2008 farmers were protesting that they couldn't sell their meat for high enough prices to cover their production costs. So many have gone out of business that our pig industry has shrunk like a watery rasher in the frying pan. Meanwhile shoppers have been buying chorizos, salamis, country hams and pies made with cut-price pork from outside the UK, which is produced to lower welfare standards than home-reared meat.

At the beginning of 2009 a parliamentary committee report revealed how the cataclysmic decline of the UK pig industry is threatening our beloved home-bred bangers, bacon butties and good old roast pork with crackling. Soon after, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced a new industry task force aimed at helping to secure the future of the British pork industry. Chef Jamie Oliver joined the chorus, calling for consumers to appreciate the best British porkers and support the farmers who produce them. The RSPCA also launched its Rooting for Pigs campaign for better welfare laws and clearer labelling to help us choose higher-welfare pork from happier animals.

British pork consumption

British consumers eat more fresh and processed pork (though no more ham and bacon) than we used to, but our national herd has halved in the past 12 years. Ten years ago 84 per cent of the pork we ate was home-produced. Now more than half our pork is imported, mainly from Denmark and Holland. Only around 22 per cent of the bacon, a mere 10 per cent of the ham and 30 per cent of the sausage meat we eat is British. Some supermarkets sell only British pork but this isn’t enough to make up for all the imported meat used in the catering industry and in the public sector.

Pig welfare

British pork is less intensively produced than pork from the Continent, and welfare standards in the UK are generally higher. On the Continent, male pigs are usually castrated and pregnant sows kept in cramped stalls for the duration of their pregnancy, a practice that is banned in Britain but won't be outlawed on the Continent until 2013. Representatives of the British pig industry claim that up to two-thirds of imported pork is produced to welfare standards below the UK's legal minimum.

However, conditions on many British farms are far from ideal. The majority of Britain's pigs are intensively reared and around 60 per cent of sows are confined to farrowing crates for about one week before, during and after giving birth to prevent them from crushing their piglets. Many pigs have their tails docked (in breach of EU law) and many herds live in bare, often crowded, sheds.

When Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) investigated conditions in Spain, Hungary, Germany and Holland in 2008 it found factory farming at its worst in Continental Europe. However CIWF also found room for improvement on some British farms. "Although conditions in the UK are better, we still need the pig industry to raise their game because many UK pigs continue to be kept in conditions that are inhumane and unlawful," said CIWF's chief policy adviser, Peter Stevenson.

Farmers' plight

Because British pork has higher welfare standards than that produced on the Continent, it tends to cost more. In 2008 the soaring price of wheat - which accounts for half the cost of producing a pig - doubled. Farmers were losing as much as £26 per animal and many went out of business or scaled down production. Even Britain's best-known pig farmer, Jimmy Doherty, had to send 50 of his 95 rare-breed sows for slaughter because he couldn't afford to feed them.

Cereal prices have stabilised but even those farmers who are able to cover their costs aren’t left with enough to invest in their businesses and to improve the welfare of their animals. While the price of pork in the shops rose by 37 per cent in 2008, farmers were only paid 27 per cent more. Pig farmers' representatives would like them to receive a price that reflects the cost of producing to higher welfare standards. Barney Kay of the National Pig Association, the organisation behind the campaign, says: "we must safeguard our domestic supply or there will be a shortage of British pork."

Labelling

Currently there's no legal definition of terms such as 'free-range', 'outdoor-bred' and 'outdoor-reared'. An 'outdoor-bred' label could still mean that the pigs spend most of their lives confined to a well-populated shed, after the sows give birth outside. Even 'outdoor-reared', which means that a pig spends the first three months - half of its life - outside with its mother before moving to an open-sided shed, shouldn't be confused with free-range. This élite five per cent are born and spend their whole lives outside with their mothers, provided with shelters to protect them from the elements. Organically reared pigs live in conditions closest to those in the wild.

There are ways for consumers concerned about animal welfare issues to choose higher-welfare pork, though. Pork carrying the British Quality Standard label meets approved minimum industry standards. The RSPCA's Freedom Food label guarantees that meat comes from pigs that had proper bedding and that the use of the farrowing crate will be limited if not altogether avoided. Although the animals may have lived entirely indoors - as do 70 per cent of British pigs.

Only about a third of pigs in the UK are now reared outside, but buying outdoor-reared pork pretty much guarantees that it's British. However, it's not always clear how much time the pigs have spent outside and supermarkets can set their own standards. Imported pork will almost certainly be from factory farmed pigs, but it’s not always clear where the meat actually comes from.

MPs have called for pork to be clearly labelled with the country of origin and the welfare standards. Rural Affairs minister Hilary Benn supports the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee’s recommendation for the meat's origin to be indicated. Currently if it is processed in the UK, pork can be described as produced in the UK regardless of where or how the animals were reared.

The RSPCA wants supermarkets to agree to clear voluntary labelling so that shoppers can make informed choices about what they're buying.

Paying the price

British farmers and animal welfare campaigners are hoping that the recession won't stop shoppers and supermarkets from making the move to better-quality British pork. Campaigners would like consumers to buy the best pork we can afford, inevitably British: "Let's pay a fair price for a fair product and make sure that our pig industry is one we can be proud of with better welfare systems and a fair deal for farmers," says Phil Brooke, welfare development manager for CIWF.

Creative cuts

Choosing less-expensive cuts, rather than prime cuts such as chops and loin, will enable you to buy better quality meat without spending more. Asian and Continental European cooks know how to use every part of a pig to create a distinctive, flavourful dish. A butcher will sell thrifty cuts and a good one should be able to give guidance on how to cook more 'creative' cuts.

If you want to make sure all the money you spend on meat goes straight to the farmer, buy direct by mail order or from a farm shop or farmers' market. There you'll be able to buy rare breed pork which is far tastier than lean, intensively reared meat.

Find out more about buying pork with our buyer's guide to pork video.

Updated February 2009