The Jamie Effect Kicks in with a Vengeance
UK - The Jamie Oliver effect has kicked in with a vengeance after he urged everybody to buy higher welfare pork.

A Look at Life's Brighter Side
UK - Demand proved to be warmer than the weather with prices anywhere between a universal stand on and in some cases an extra penny or two was available from some buyers still short of pigs, writes Peter...

Creep Heating Costs Cut by Over £3,000 a Year
UK - A Suffolk farming company is saving nearly £3,000 per year though accurate control of electricity use in the heated creep areas of its farrowing houses and installing plastic curtains to retain the...

Britain Sees Improvement in Pig Incomes
UK - Average farm business income is forecast to increase substantially in 2008-09 on specialist pig farms, according to the latest government national statistics report for the United Kingdom.

And Everyone Asked for More...
UK - The long awaited Jamie Oliver Channel 4 programme broadcast on Thursday evening proved to be every bit as much of a tonic for the British pig industry as we had dreamed for, says Peter Crichton in...

BPEX: £3 Million Backing For QSM
UK - It’s business as usual for the Quality Standard Mark for pork bacon and ham, says BPEX Chairman Stewart Houston.

Larger Processors Much Stronger in the Market
UK - Plenty of evidence is continuing to emerge over the tightness of the supply chain as far as United Kingdom pigs are concerned, writes Peter Crichton in this week's Traffic Lights commentary.

United Kingdom Slaughter Statistics - January 2009
UK - The latest figures from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) reveal that the overall pig meat production fell slightly in December.

GB Production of Bacon and Ham Fell in 2008
UK - The latest national statistics produced by Defra on production of bacon and ham in Great Britain (GB) show that annual output in 2008 was down by more than seven per cent from the 2007 figure. Of...

How Confident is the UK Pig Industry?
UK - Everybody knows we are in a recession but finding out just how hard it is biting in the pig industry is another matter.

Positive Report on English Pig Industry
UK - The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee conducted a major inquiry into the English pig industry last September, and its report has now been published.

More Buyers Than Sellers
UK - Although reports are continuing to filter through of slightly indifferent retail demand, spot prices have continued to improve mainly due to shrinking United Kingdom pig availability, writes Peter...

English Pig Producers and 'Imperfect Competition'
UK - According to the June English pig herd census, over 40 per cent of the national breeding herd is now outdoors, writes Digby Scott for the National Pig Association (NPA).

Making Sense of Volatile Markets
UK - The British livestock industry has been through a volatile time over the last year as a result of the turbulence in global commodity markets, but what does 2009 have in store?

Set-aside Not Likely to Help Pig Producers
UK - If Defra is successful in its ambition to retain an element of compulsory set-aside in England — as a unilateral measure that is not mirrored elsewhere in Europe — it will hamper the production of...

Tax Relief for UK Pig Producers
UK - A potentially expensive grey area for pig producers has at last been clarified after hard work by the industry, including BPEX and the NFU.

Call for Clearer Labelling and Sustainable Farming
UK - The UK is to push Europe to change regulations for clearer country of origin labelling (COOL).

UK Climate Policy Threatens Trade
UK - USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has published a report indicating that the United Kingdom's Climate Policy may be a threat to trade.

What an Excellent Start to the Year!
UK - An excellent start to the New Year for a whole host of reasons, writes Peter Crichton.

ACMC: Multipliers Wanted
UK - Against a background of a contracting UK pig industry, Yorkshire-based international pig-breeding company, ACMC, is finding increasing demand for high-health replacement gilts both domestically and...

Despite Long Weekend, Prices Remain Firm
UK - Very much of an end of term feeling for pig traders as most contract buyers had already sorted out their numbers for next week, writes Peter Crichton in his Traffic Lights commentary.

A New Year Message from UFU President
NORTHERN IRELAND - In a review of 2008 and a new year message for 2009, Ulster Farmers’ Union President Graham Furey said farmers would be hoping for a change of fortune as the new year begins.

Pig Industry's Leading Light Passes Away
UK - It is with deep regret that we report the death of Jim Dewhirst, leading light of the UK and European pig industries.

Another Good Day... Bids to 142p
UK - As the year draws to a close, there are certainly more positive signs in the market than negative ones providing the € continues its remarkable rally, writes Peter Crichton in this week's Traffic...

Private Storage Aid for Northern Irish Pigs
UK - The EU has introduced a Private Storage Aid (PSA) Scheme for the Northern Ireland's pig meat industry with a potential value of £6 million.