The extra £200,000 being given by the government is in response to recent financial issues that the pig sector had been facing.

But the cash is not new, The Press and Journal informs us. It comes from a £1million funding scheme announced at the height of last year’s foot-and-mouth crisis – and which a year on remains largely unspent and no indication of how it will be used.

QMS said the money would allow the funding of newspaper and radio advertising.

There is also to be a new consumer website for Scotland’s Specially Selected Pork brand featuring a range of recipe ideas for pigmeat, as well as ham, bacon and sausages at www.specially selectedpork.co.uk

However, producers are querying the promotional cash. Several do not believe it needs to be spent as the pig industry has contracted so much over the past year that all the available Scottish pork – and imported product – is finding an easy market as well as a reasonable price.

They complain the Scottish Government ignored the ideas industry put forward on the types of funding that would benefit producers and secure their future.

The producers argue that the £200,000 of recycled cash would be better going into their pockets to make good the losses they endured during the foot-and-mouth crisis.

They also maintain that the only likely beneficiary of increased pork sales will be the retailers they have persistently accused over the last year of profiteering and of not handing a fair share of the end price back to producers.

QMS sees the website as a valuable tool in helping consumers to find out everything they need to know about its specially selected pork brand, the quality and welfare guarantees that go with branded product and recipes highlighting the versatility.

QMS head of marketing Laurent Vernet said: “The launch of this new website is a significant development in our campaign, building on the brand and adding a depth of information to our advertising.

“Recent research shows that for a growing number of ethical consumers, and particularly for pork, animal welfare standards are an important driver for purchase.”

“The new website means that our effective and simple rallying call of ‘Get some pork on that fork’ can be supplemented with a wealth of information about Scotland’s world-class production standards, and enable people to make an informed choice to seek out specially selected pork.

Further Reading

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Go to our previous news item on this story by clicking here.

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Find out more information on Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) by clicking here.