I’m fed up with talking about the weather, but I can console myself with the fact we have grabbed every opportunity so far and progress is not too bad.Retailers switching from British pork to cheap imports - NPA
THE National Pig Association (NPA) has called on retailers to show support for British pork after a recent survey found a ‘significant’ number had switched to cheaper, imported products.
In a letter to retailers on Monday (October 5), NPA chairman Stewart Houston warned producers were willing to renege on their supply contracts if retailers did not show more support.
He said the industry had been showing signs of recovery in recent months but without support from retailers it was unlikely to be sustained.
The call for action comes following the latest results of Porkwatch, an initiative between the NPA and Bpex which monitors the sales of pork bearing the Quality Standard Mark.
Mr Houston said: “Lack of demand is cited as the reason for difficulties at retail. There isn’t a jot of truth in that, when, thanks to champions like Jamie Oliver, consumers are keener than ever to support British pork and we are only 50 percent self-sufficient.
“Porkwatch results show a significant walk-away from British to cheaper imported product, much of which cannot possibly meet the British welfare specification.
“This challenge comes during a short period of profitability, the first in ten years, which producers are using to drag themselves back to the sort of efficiency levels we used to be proud of so that we can compete with cheap imports, notwithstanding our higher standards.
“It also comes at a time when the Government’s Pig Industry Task Force is starting to work with retailers to address supply chain inadequacies of this nature.”
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