Pig farmers warned of a "total collapse" of their industry unless retailers pay more for their pork, following a dramatic spike in feed costs triggered by the war in Ukraine.

The National Pig Association (NPA) says farmers who have already faced a year of financial losses have been pushed to the brink by an unprecedented rise in the price of wheat.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in a major grain-producing part of the world, has sent wheat prices soaring to around £300 per tonne.

And that is bad news for pig farms whose animal feed represents a large proportion of their production costs.

The NPA says its farmers have endured a "horrendous 12 months", typically losing up to £39 per pig in the final quarter of 2021.

This was a result of falling pig prices, combined with record feed costs - compounded by having to feed heavier pigs for longer due to a backlog of animals created by a post-Brexit shortage of butchers and meat processing workers.

But Norfolk farmer Rob Mutimer, who is also chairman of the NPA, said the latest cost rises were likely to drive many more producers out of the industry unless retailers reacted.

“Nobody can survive with wheat at £300 per tonne," he said. "The situation is now beyond desperate and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

“We need a large and immediate price increase from retailers. Our current pricing mechanism has failed to keep up with the unprecedented events taking place around the world.

“We are staring down the barrel of a total collapse of the British pig industry, which is not only a tragedy for the producers themselves, but will leave UK consumers short of one of their favourite and most versatile meats.

"Retailers need to act now to ensure that they can continue to secure our high quality British pork - we haven’t got long.”

The NPA said a price of more than £2/kg is needed to allow producers to break even, which is around 70p/kg above the current price they are being paid.

It is also reiterating its calls for a financial support package from Defra.