The difficulties facing Yorkshire pig farmers continue to come under the spotlight as they struggle to compete against cheap meat imported from abroad.

It's widely accepted among those in the industry that pigs reared in this country enjoy higher welfare standards than in Europe. But the extent to which consumers realise,
or even care, is less clear.

However, one East Yorkshire pig farmer is adamant that the tide is turning. Anna Longthorp-Oates believes that consumers are increasingly aware of welfare issues and the need to cut down on food miles.

Anna has spotted what she believes to be a gap in the market and is launching her own range of locally- produced, free-range premium pork products under the Anna's Happy Trotters brand. At 25 years of age, Anna is perhaps not your typical pig farmer, but her family has been rearing pigs outdoors for more than 20 years so she has plenty of experience to draw upon, enabling her to oversee the the entire process herself – all the way from farm to fork.

Anna says "People are taking more interest in where their food comes from, partly
due to the influence of TV chefs like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and children are being taught about it in school.

"I think it's important that people know where their food comes from and how it's produced; they need to be aware that much of the meat produced abroad won't meet the same high welfare standards that we believe are so important."

About 40 per cent of the UK's pigs are born on free range farms, but only three per cent are then reared in free-range conditions. Anna's pigs fall into this elite and are free-range for their entire lives.

Barney Kay, general manager of the National Pig Association, shares the view that welfare has moved up shoppers' agenda.

"People are starting to realise that British pork is produced to a higher welfare standard than meat that comes from the continent," he says. "There, things like castration and the use of stalls (confined spaces that prevent a sow from turning around) for sows with piglets are commonplace.

"The fact that we have a range of different production systems – from outdoor reared pigs to indoor systems, means that
British consumers also have much greater variety of choice at a range of different prices.

"There is clearly consumer interest in premium products, such as outdoor reared pork, and there is still great growth in this area."

This time last year British pig farmers were losing an average of £20 to £25 on every pig produced. Things have improved a little, but Barney believes that retailers need to engage in discussion with farmers to find long-term solutions to the problem of production costs outstripping pork prices.

"Better welfare means higher production costs," adds Barney. "So retailers need to be looking at the success of premium products and thinking what they can do to help sustain that. This year we have lost seven per cent of the sow population as a result of farmers leaving the industry.

"When you consider that each sow produces 20 piglets per year on average, a reduction in the amount of pork available will push prices up."

Anna also believes her approach results in a higher- quality end product. "The high welfare standards and good quality of life that the pigs enjoy mean that they are slower-growing than indoor reared pigs and this results in better tasting pork," she says.

Her pigs are are a mix of old and new breeds – the Landrace and Duroc cross sows produce pigs with low levels of backfat and meat that is marbled for flavour and succulence. The Maximus boar is a muscular breed that gives lean meat and big chops. The products are available from Rob Featherstone's in Howden and Gary Alden's in Hessle. Anna also has a regular stall at Hull Farmers' Market every Saturday, and supplies meat to a number of local restaurants, including Joffcos at Holme-Upon-Spalding-Moor.

www.annashappytrotters. com