Morrisons’ Woodheads abattoir to reduce pig supplier numbers

Morrisons has given notice to a number of pig producers, blaming a ‘challenging economic climate’.

These include some longstanding suppliers to the retailers’ Woodheads abattoir, in Lincolnshire, and at least one very large supplier. As well removing some producers altogether, there are also reports of it informing other producers that it will be cutting the numbers taken each week.

A spokesperson for the Myton Food Group said: “Due to the challenging economic climate, Woodheads (part of Myton Food Group) is consolidating its processing volumes and as a result has made the difficult decision to reduce the number of pig producers in its supply chain.

“We understand the impact this news has on individual farming businesses, and our goal is to handle these exits with as much clarity and fairness as possible.”

The move by Morrisons comes amid the extremely difficult market conditions the UK pig sector is currently enduring. The pig price has been falling steadily since the autumn amid an imbalance of supply and demand, compounded by low EU pig prices, which have compounded the pressure.

As a result of the excess supply, driven by a combination of additional sows being put down last year and good autumn breeding and growing performance, versus stagnant demand, with the situation made worse by factory stoppages, processors have been ‘rolling’ pigs week after week, with numbers backing up on farms.

Contract deadline

All of this is happening with the mid-August deadline for all existing contracts to comply with the new the Fair Dealing Obligations (Pigs) Regulations looming.

The FDO regulations became law in August 2025, requiring all new pig‑purchase contracts from that date onward to be in writing, signed, and to include clearly defined terms on pricing, duration, volumes, termination and dispute resolution.

A one-year transition period means that all contracts, regardless of when they were signed, must be compliant by August 13, 2026.

NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said: “The onus is on processors to ensure they are compliant on all contracts by mid-August. Whilst we appreciate the very difficult market conditions currently, if this has not been discussed yet with your customers, we encourage you to start raising it now.”