Tesco has announced funding of £10 million for its UK pig farmers, as the pork industry continues to face challenges relating to increases in on-farm costs.
The accelerated payment plan will see Tesco suppliers increase payments to farmers by £6.6 million until August, bringing the total support for Tesco farmers to £10 million since the start of March 2022.
Tesco said it will work with its suppliers to ensure this payment gets to them as quickly as possible.
“We fully recognise the seriousness of the situation UK pig farmers are facing and have been working closely with our suppliers to understand what more we can do to support the sector,” said Tesco fresh commercial director, Dominic Morrey.
“We know there is more to do, and we will be working with suppliers, farmers and the wider industry to drive more transparency and sustainability across our supply chains and support the future of the British pig industry.”
Support from UK supermarkets
At the beginning of the month, Waitrose announced a support scheme for its pig farmers, of £16 million.
It will cover the full cost of rearing and producing pigs, including labour, feed and fuel, the supermarket chain said.
And prior to this, in April, Sainsbury’s announced a support payment of up to £2.8 million for its pork development group. This group is designed to understand its farm base and increase visibility across the supplier chain.