A DERBYSHIRE Dales farmer has hit out at a proposed ‘heartless’ pig factory saying it could end his business.
The farmer, from Sudbury, who did not want to be named, said he is concerned about the proposed 2,500 sow unit proposed at Foston.
He said: “It will be fattening about 25,000 pigs at any one time, all of which will be confined, in low sheds, on 30 acres of concrete, on that site, every day of year. This is not a farm it is a pig factory.” He added that huge enterprise such as the one proposed by Midland Pig Producers will result in his own income being squeezed “Such a squeeze could force me out of business. How can family farms continue when competing against such goliaths as this?” He also cited diseases as a problem and said neighbours will be forced to subsidise the factor through their electricity bills.
However, a spokesperson for Midland Pig Producers said: “As 60 per cent of the pork consumed in the UK is imported and the demand for pork shows no sign of diminishing, we cannot see how our farm, should planning permission be granted, will have any negative impact on other UK farmers, whatever the size of their unit. In fact, there are already bigger pig farms operating in the UK.
“We believe that different farming methods should be able to co-exist in this country but in our view, if UK farming companies are to be able to compete with the meat imported from abroad (which is not produced to the high UK welfare standards), they must be economically effective. "The UK has the highest welfare standards in the world but to enable these standards to be delivered at an economical price MPP believes the size of the unit has to increase. “Concerns about disease have also been addressed comprehensively. "The entire farm will be a high health unit operating to the highest levels of bio-security to minimise the risk of disease entering the farm or indeed leaving it. In fact, the last outbreak of foot and mouth started in a small farm where shortcuts were found to have been taken in terms of hygiene methodology.
"MPP uses acknowledged best practice regarding hygiene at all times.
“The Government is committed to increasing the proportion of energy used from renewable sources and has set challenging targets in this respect in order to increase the security of energy supplies. Our unit will make a contribution to this target.”
