Government support worth £2m for Scotland’s struggling pig farmers

The Scottish government says the total number of sows has reduced by about 15% since the start of the year and four producers have left the sector.

Pig farming is an unsupported part of the agricultural industry, which means they do not receive any government subsidies.

But the pork supply chain supports about 2,200 jobs in Scotland.

The funding will be applied retrospectively to losses incurred since March and the scheme will continue until August.

Pig producers under the same ownership as the operators of the abattoir will not qualify for funding.

NFU Scotland president Andrew Connon says the situation is “totally unsustainable” and the worst crisis that pig farmers have experienced in more than 50 years.

He added: “We need to see a fair price for the product. At the moment it’s well below the cost of production and that’s why the industry’s in such a sorrowful state.”

The £2m funding will help farmers pay off some of the debts they are incurring because of low prices – but the longer those prices remain well below previous years, the more farmers will have to consider leaving the sector.

That will inevitably mean an increased reliance on imports for pork products.