Pig industry under pressure

Pig farming is ranked as one of the most depressing businesses any Scottish farmer can be involved in, according to today’s Scotsman.

The newspaper reports that producers lose at least £20 on every animal sent for slaughter.

It’s no different for us in our small niche market, supplying Berkshire weaners to other crofters and smallholders for fattening.

It costs us almost £50 to produce each weaner, but buyers only want to pay £20-30 an animal—prices last seen in the 1980s.

And the Scottish Executive’s response? Send the cabinet secretary for rural affairs, Richard Lochead, to the Asda store in Govan to make the case for a fair deal and announced yet another scheme to stimulate business.

How much of the money is real and how much will make its way to real farmers is open to debate!

More on the Scotsman’s story here.