Levy money raised from Scotland’s pig sector is set to return north of the border following a deal to improve slaughtering facilities in Brechin.
According to the managing director of Scottish Pig Producers, Gordon McKen, lost levy monies from Scottish pigs heading south for slaughter will soon become a thing of the past.
Red meat levy body Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) lost half of its levy income overnight following the closure of Vion’s Halls of Broxburn pig processing plant in 2012.
At the time the plant, which closed as a result of “unsustainable losses” of £79,000 a day, was processing 70% of Scottish pigmeat.
Its closure resulted in the bulk of these pigs heading south of the border for slaughter, along with their levy money which then went to English pig body BPEX.
Mr McKen yesterday said the purchase of the Brechin pig abattoir from AP Jess by newly formed farmers co-operative QPL – which comprises Scottish Pig Producers, Scotlean and Tulip – would see the number of pigs slaughtered in Scotland return to pre-Hall’s closure levels.
Speaking at a meeting of the regional agricultural advisory group (Nesaag) yesterday, Mr McKen said: “If we get an 8,000 a week kill at Brechin and all the other plants will put us up to 10,000 a week which was as good as we were before.”
He said improvements to the Brechin plant would include facilities to slaughter Scottish cull sows, which currently have to travel all the way to Essex for processing.
In addition, Scottish Pig Producers will work to encourage former Vion pig finishers to get back into the sector, he said.
QMS chief executive Uel Morton last night said: “It is still early days in terms of attempting to accurately forecast the full extent of the recovery of pig slaughter capacity in Scotland and the return of the pigmeat levy currently being lost south of the border.
“However, I am confident that the future is now looking much brighter for the Specially Selected Pork brand and the industry’s long-term outlook.”