The meeting between UK Farming Minister Victoria Prentis and the National Pig Association (NPA) will take place on 10 February.

The NPA explained that chairman Richard Lister requested the roundtable in a letter to the UK’s Environment Secretary back in January. His letter warned that the troubles facing the pig industry could, “rapidly turn into a crisis for [NPA] members if nothing is done to improve their situation.”

The NPA has also been lobbying MPs and meeting with Shadow Agriculture Minister Daniel Zeichner. NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said, “ We are delighted to have secured the roundtable meeting. We have been working very hard to raise awareness of all the issues facing the industry and it is really important that we will now have ministerial involvement as we look to find solutions.”

NPA is also reaching out to other links in the pig value chain, engaging with processors to see if there are any ways to remove pressure from pig farmers. They have also asked AHDB if there is any funding available to support the industry.

“We are also developing a campaign to promote British pork,” Davies told an NPA town hall meeting.

Read more about the NPA’s strategy here.