Supply chain issues in the pig sector

8th September 2022

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has launched a consultation on supply chain relations in the UK pig sector. Defra has asked for views on how the UK pig sector currently functions and the nature of the relationships across the supply chain. It is a UK wide consultation, undertaken by Defra with the agreement of the devolved administrations.

Purpose of consultation

The purpose of the consultation is to gather evidence about how supply arrangements in the pig sector currently function and to explore the nature of the relationships between the various parties in the supply chain. Government is also seeking views on whether, and how, the functioning of the supply chain can be improved.  The aim of the consultation is to design future policy aimed at promoting better business practice and making the supply chain fairer for all.

Pig producers in the UK tend to be small, individual businesses. Typically, these producers are supplying highly consolidated businesses further up the supply chain which command substantial shares of the market. This disparity can make pig producers vulnerable to unfair trading practices. The Agriculture Act 2020 introduced the ‘Fair Dealings Powers’ which enable Government to introduce regulations to oversee the relationship between producers and buyers where necessary.

What happens next?

The consultation closes at 11.45 pm on 7 October 2022 and if you wish to contribute you can do so here.