It concentrates on 'ABC1' consumers that are traditionally more 'persuadable', but pig producer Marcus Cheale is curious to know whether Sun and Mirror readers should also be included in the advertising mix.

"Wealthier, better educated consumers may already know about the farmers' plight and are more likely to live in rural or semi-rural areas, and perhaps they are more likely to spend extra for their food - but are they more patriotic? I'm not so sure," he says.

He wonders whether advertising in the red-tops, such as the Sun and Mirror, is being under estimated, not least because manual jobs are often well rewarded.

"I understand these questions have been taken into account when allocating funds but with 70 to 80 percent of people living in towns maybe this is where we should be targeting our efforts.

"My best sales for British pork are definitely in more rural areas, whilst London and up the A1 and M1/M6 are the least best. Towns may be much more price conscious, but the flip side to that is, should we target them?"