In fact, the market is looking good for organic pig farmers both in the Netherlands and elsewhere, as long as they keep a tight rein on the price, according to the findings of a study by Wageningen University’s Agricultural Economic Institute. Between 2005 and 2009 the Dutch market for organic pork grew by 25 per cent, according to Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

In the Netherlands, retail sales are dominated almost exclusively by one organic store chain, De Groene Weg (‘the green way’). Last year a total of 75,000 organically produced pigs were slaughtered. Half of the meat was bound for export, chiefly to Germany and the United Kingdom.