In an unprecedented move, a Norfolk farmer will be paid up to £1.5m of public money to not keep pigs on his land. But the decision has alarmed many in the agriculture sector. BETHANY WALES reports
If it sounds unusual, that’s because it is.
A deal - the first of its kind in the UK - will see up to £1.5m of public money paid to a Norfolk farmer to stop him raising pigs on his land.
The move is designed to reduce the amount of harmful nutrients flowing into waterways, and therefore allow housebuilding in other parts of the county to start up again.
Natural England had imposed a halt on new housing in a large area of Norfolk until the authorities could come up with a way of reducing the levels of pollution in local rivers.
Housing is one source of the nutrients - through wastewater, for example from washing machines and sewage - but farming is another major contributor, through fertiliser and livestock.
And by reducing the amount from agriculture - by paying a farmer not to keep pigs near two major rivers on the southern outskirts of Norwich - officials will be able grant permission for 5,000 homes elsewhere.
Critics have already raised concerns over the accountability and transparency of the decision, but there is also growing disquiet in farming circles, with some saying it could herald a major threat by encouraging people to leave the sector.
WHAT IS THE CONNECTION TO PIG FARMING?
While many farming sectors can generate nutrients, the pig industry is a particular concern for environmentalists.
This is because of the way the animals are reared.
They need to consume large amounts of nutrients to get them fat enough for slaughter, which creates especially high quantities of manure and slurries - which also contain the harmful nutrients.
Since the animals are reared in the open, this, in turn, ends up flushing into rivers and watercourses.
Under the new deal, struck by officials from South Norfolk Council, the farmer will no longer keep pigs on a 180-acre site, which sits either side of the A47 bypass south of Norwich, close to the Tas and Yare rivers.
By stopping pig farming on the land, the council believes it has 'offset' or 'mitigated' the impact of building 5,000 new homes.
At the moment, we only know of one farm being offered such a deal, but officials are searching for more 'mitigation' measures to allow for even more homes to be built and have said they hope more farmers may come forward with ideas.
WHAT WILL BE THE IMPACT ON FARMING?
The halt on housebuilding - which has been in place for more than a year - has been blamed for worsening the housing crisis and creating significant problems in the construction industry, with many firms under threat.
But some have questioned whether by closing down some farming businesses, the problem has simply been pushed into a different sector.
According to local farmers, the repercussions could be far reaching - and difficult to predict.
One farmer, who’s been keeping pigs in north Suffolk for more than a decade, said not only was the plan likely to create a shortage of land in an already under-served sector, but could also impact the much-needed supply of animals.
The farmer, who didn’t want to be named for fear of repercussions, said: “There’s already a short supply of land that’s suitable for pigs.
“If you make it even scarcer, that’s going to push the price up - especially for those of us renting land, which many farmers do.
“Probably even more worrying though is that most pigs in the UK are bred outside, and then moved inside to finish them before slaughter.
“Many farmers get their pigs at the indoor stage, but if there’s a reduction in the amount of pigs being bred then of course that’s going to make it harder to get hold of the animals, again pushing up the price and maybe even making it impossible for some in the industry to get hold of them.
“It’s already tough times for farmers. I could see this putting people out of business if this deal becomes standard.”
But, he added, most farmers would be hard-pressed to refuse the money if offered.
“A million quid to get rid of my pigs? Of course I’d take it. You’d be mad not to.”
Paul Batterham, who owns Bawsley Pigs near King's Lynn, had similar concerns.
He said there was a chance that the deal could push more farmers to move their pigs indoors, which would have an impact on how much high-welfare pork the region was able to produce.
In turn, he said this might lead to more meat being imported from abroad.
“That would have the power to put us out of business - four people would lose their jobs here alone, so you can imagine the impact it would have county-wide.
“If you look even wider than that, it’ll impact the abattoirs because they’ll lose capacity.
“Once they close they won’t be coming back.”
PRICIER PORK ON THE WAY?
Farmers aren’t the only ones concerned by the deal.
Local butchers warned that stemming the supply of local pork could hit prices.
Jonathan Wise, from Banham Butchers near Norwich, said this could discourage people from shopping at local businesses, with independents unable to keep their prices competitive.
He said: “Because our focus is on local produce we would still stick with Norfolk pigs even if the price went up - you’ve got to support your local farmers.
“The problem would be that we’d have to put our prices up, which would no doubt have an impact on our customers.
“A lot of people wouldn’t be able to afford it anymore, and instead of shopping locally they’d be forced to get their meat at the supermarket.
“There’s a risk there that they’d stop coming to us for other things too, not just the pork.
“That’s not a trend we’d want to encourage.”
Anthony Spurgeon, from Spurgeon Butchers in Brooke, added: “Pork is usually the cheapest meat, so if prices started going up, we just wouldn’t be able to stock it.
"There would be no point for us."
WHAT IS PIG FARMING WORTH TO EAST ANGLIA?
East Anglia is one of the most important areas in the country for UK pork production.
Although pig farms only account for 1.4% of the region’s farmed area, those farms account for 29pc of the English pig population - that's around 1.2m pigs, according to Defra.
And with the UK pig industry worth £1.6 billion at the farm-gate, £5 billion at retail and, considering foodservice, external sales and export values, more than £14 billion in total, it's not hard to see why the industry is so important to East Anglia.
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