Figures released by Britain’s National Pig Association show that the wash-out British summer and severe drought in the United States have inflated the price of pig feed, plunging many farmers into a loss and prompting many to reduce the size of their herds. This could lead to a sharp rise in the price of pork – currently the cheapest of the red meats – or to empty shelves as retailers struggle to meet demand.
As a result, the Yorkshire Dales Meat Company, leading Yorkshire-based catering butchers, is urging customers to buy British in the face of a predicted worldwide pork and bacon shortage.
Stephen Knox, Managing Director of the Yorkshire Dales Meat Company said:
“Farmers are facing a really tough environment at the moment with the difficult harvest caused by poor weather worldwide.
“Although the demand for meat is increasing, there are significantly fewer farmers in this country compared with 10 years ago, as escalating costs are making many farm businesses unsustainable. This is really having an impact on farmers’ ability to supply quality British meat and preserving our farming heritage.
“Yorkshire Dales Meat Company prides itself on sourcing most of its produce from the local area and paying a fair price to farmers, enabling them to carry on the UK’s proud farming tradition. If we could encourage people to make a point of purchasing British pork it would go a long way to supporting British farmers through this challenging time.”
Yorkshire Dales Meat Company, the region’s premier catering butcher, supplies a range of pork products and speciality sausages to restaurants, hotels and supermarkets across the region.
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