Philip Lymbery CEO CIWF: Farmageddon, the story behind the looming factory farming crisis

[Tim W]

With respect to outdoor pig stocking rates, most of us are short term tenants on arable farms. Therefore high rents are the norm. In my neck of the woods we have to compete with high rent paying alternatives such as root vegetables and now AD maize, so rents of at least £300 per acre are the norm, so driving an economically sustainable stocking rate of about ten sows per acre. It would be normal to move sites every two years.

Of course if it was my own place I would do it very differently.

On labour, I would be fairly typical, with 1000 sows, selling piglets at weaning, employing two and working hard myself, so one per at least 300 sows, thanks to nut throwing machines.

Having had a bit to do with NPA, I would be very careful about engaging too much with Philip Lymbery.

£300!!!! Don't know what to say apart from you will be running a very efficient ship.
labour---we ran 1 man to 100 sows but that was finishing everything which I imagine is not too far off your 3 to 1000 sows selling weaners?
The main difference in our systems then would be that we had more forgiving land, we had an inputted rent half the rate you are paying and we moved pigs on rapidly----typically every 6 months

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Our land is on the whole very forgiving too. You might have seen the very same land on the "Today at work" thread.
People who care about soil (the direct drillers) would be horrified though. One day the soil is going to need a whole lot of organic matter and TLC. At least I can provide the organic matter bit.

 

[Bill the Bass]

Bill (and Mr Lymbery who should be joining in here?)--- I don't know that much about the UK pig industry so a few questions and thoughts---

What %age of UK pigs are castrated/tail docked/teeth clipped----is anaesthesia used in these procedures?

Is it bad that high welfare conditions are imposed in the UK? I would say not---but it must be bad that pork is allowed into the UK that is reared to lesser standards? So we could argue that 'imposing ' high welfare standards here has just moved the poor practices elsewhere? In which case the campaign should be taken further afield?

Outdoor pig farms to me seem to often be a disgrace ---an excuse to keep pigs up to their bellies in mud , often leaving the land in a catastrophic state? Don't you think that any animal kept outside should have 'green' underfoot ?

Yes it is, particularly in a so called Common Market - all the welfare lobby achieved in banning stalls and tethers was to export cruelty and finish many small, dilligent and skilled UK pig farmers only for them to be replaced by multinational companies like Murphy Farms as was - exactly the type of company that Lambery complains about above. Idiot.

Many outdoor pig farms are a disgrace, and there is another single issue lobby group of fishermen and river trusts that are sniffing blood - Opencast Pig Mining is the derogatory term they use to refer to pig farmers.

You will not find anyone more passionate about animal welfare or the environment than me - unfortunately by the language these activists use it is obvious to me they do not share that passion.