NPA urges Defra to convene industry roundtable to discuss plight of independent producers
29th May 2026 / By Alistair Driver
The NPA has called on farming minister Dame Angela Eagle to convene an ‘urgent industry roundtable’ to discuss the ‘extremely challenging’ situation facing independent pig producers.
In a letter, chief executive Lizzie Wilson warns the minister that the future of many independent pig producers has been cast into doubt, as the leading pork processors have given notice on contracts to suppliers up and down the country.
The letter highlights how the market has been declining since autumn of 2025, driven by a combination of factors, including an oversupply of pigs, stagnant demand and falling EU prices that have pressurised UK pig prices. The situation has been compounded by backlogs on farms, exacerbated by factory issues and rising costs on the back of the war in the Middle East.
While the backlog of pigs on farm has now largely been cleared, this has contributed to ‘some extremely low prices now being paid’. The Standard Pig Price has declined from 208p/kg to 178p/kg now, but this masks significant variation with some producers receiving as little as 130-140p/kg.
“Although the recent media attention has largely focussed on producers supplying the Morrison’s owned abattoirs, all the major processors have been serving notice on their producers’ contracts,” the letter adds.
Stressing ‘the urgency of this situation’, the letter concludes: “We hope this meeting will provide you with the opportunity to hear the views of our independent producers and discuss what collective steps we can take to help ensure the survival of this vital part of our industry.”
Lizzie is also urging members who feel they have been unfairly treated to write to their MP and to send the details to the NPA.
In a press release earlier this week, the NPA called on retailers, processors and the foodservice sector to ‘restate their commitment to British pork and, in particular, our under-pressure independent producers’, who it said were ‘fighting for their futures’.
“Our big fear is that, if we lose more independent producers, we will begin to lose critical mass in terms of the suppliers and industry around them,” Lizzie said.