The Farmers Mart Dec/Jan 2014 - Issue 31 | Page 44

PIGS NPA DISMISSES ‘FEEDING THE 5000’ INITIATIVE The National Pig Association (NPA) has dismissed The Pig Idea’s ‘Feeding the 5000’ event as a “non-starter” and “fundamentally unsafe”. Through the event held in Trafalgar Square in November, The Pig Idea promoted the qualities of swill-feeding pigs in the UK and the European Union (EU), by providing the public with free food produced from swill-fed pork. There is currently a zero-tolerance ban on swill-feeding in the EU, since the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001. But the NPA said that although the event was “superficially attractive” and promoted by well-meaning people, it is “fundamentally unsafe”. “And consequently the European Union will not be persuaded to lift its zero-tolerance ban on feeding swill to pigs,” it added. NPA also maintained that, even if the swill-feeding ban was lifted, the idea would not be commercially viable because of the overwhelming number of pig farmers who refuse to contemplate swill-feeding. The NPA said the risk of disease was too high and “they [farmers] are opposed to cannibalistic feeding on ethical and food safety grounds”. “The National Pig Association is opposed to feeding swill because even if the practice were to be allowed by law, inevitably there would be a regulatory breakdown, sooner or later, in You Name It & We'll Clean It !!! • • • • • We have provided a range of cleaning services for over 25 years specialising in mobile steam / pressure cleaning. including livestock housing, plant & machinery, vehicles, buildings, We operate engine driven self contained units allowing us to operate anywhere without the need for mains Pressures up to 3000psi Ground based washing up to 36' We operate throughout Northern England and are available 7 days a week We provide a reliable, high quality service at the best possible price. Tel: [phone] E-mail: [email protected] www.safetclean.co.uk 44 Dec/Jan 2014 FarmersMart one or more of the European Union’s 28 member countries, with the consequent serious disease risk,” it added. Already the pig industry uses 1.23m tonnes (mt) of co-product from the human food chain each year, the NPA said, which accounts for 43.9% of total pig feed produced. NPA chairman Richard Longthorp, meanwhile, said the industry preferred to talk about ‘co-product’ and not ‘foodwaste’,