Improved slaughtering facilities for Scottish pigs are set to be operational later this year.
According to Quality Pork Limited (QPL), improvement work at the Brechin pig abattoir is well underway and scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
QPL, which is a joint venture between Scottish Pig Producers and Scotlean Pigs, took ownership of the Brechin site from AP Jess last year.
The company is now upgrading the facilities with the help of £2.7million in grant funding from the Scottish Government’s food processing, marketing and co-operation scheme.
Investment at the plant will see the creation of a new slaughter line, and chilling and lorry-washing facilities to enable the slaughtering capacity at the plant to double.
Scotland’s pig slaughtering capacity was greatly reduced when the country’s main processing plant – Hall’s of Broxburn in Edinburgh – was closed in 2012.
Commenting on the development at the Brechin site, farm minister Richard Lochhead said: “The aftermath of the closure of Halls of Broxburn was a difficult time for our pig industry so I’m glad to see the new plant taking shape as it heralds a bright future for the Scottish pig supply chain.
“Scottish farms produce around £81million of pig meat a year for processing, and the Scottish Government is actively supporting pig farming and the Specially Selected Pork brand.”
Quality Meat Scotland chairman Jim McLaren added: “The investment in additional slaughtering capacity at Brechin is a fantastic boost for the Scottish pig industry and we look forward to the increased capacity at the plant becoming operational later this year.
“As well as giving our pig farmers a clear signal of confidence in the long-term future of pig production in Scotland, we welcome the return of some of the pig levy income which our industry has been unable to benefit from as a result of pigs being slaughtered south of the border.”
QPL said it hoped the increased slaughtering facilities would encourage producers to expand numbers and potentially lure new entrants into the sector.
“This exciting development represents a great opportunity for new entrants to get into the pig industry,” said QPL chairman Roderic Bruce.
“Pig production is already competitive in Scotland and is unsubsidised. With grain prices forecast to remain challenging to arable farmers, finishing pigs provides a great opportunity for farmers to add value to their grain by producing meat from home-grown cereals.”
He said Scottish Pig Producers and Scotlean Pigs were working with a number of banks and feed companies to de4velop a support programme for new pig producers in Scotland.
The two co-operatives plan to host an event later this year for NFU Scotland’s new generation group to demonstrate practical pig farming and give an insight into what is involved in working in the sector.