Demand for Freedom Food pork drives pig numbers...

...to record level and gives boost to British pig industry

Freedom Food today announced an increase in labelled pork for the second year running, which means that availability of Freedom Food pork in supermarkets is higher than ever before.

As revealed in The Grocer today, the amount of pork – including sausages, bacon and cooked ham, as well as fresh pork - with the RSPCA’s Freedom Food mark rose by 62 per cent last year compared to 2009. And 2011 looks set to continue the trend with a 116 per cent increase recorded in the first quarter compared to the first quarter of 2010, showing that pig welfare is still firmly on people’s shopping list*.

According to the UK’s largest supplier of Freedom Food pork products, not only is this good news for pigs but for British farmers too.  Marcus Hoggarth, account director of Cranswick Country Foods, said:

Retailers are increasingly demanding the assurance for their customers that Freedom Food provides. It clearly adds value to our product and gives us a competitive edge by helping us differentiate our UK producer supply chain for the British retailer.

This increase in labelled pork is mirrored by an upsurge in the number of pigs under the Freedom Food scheme, also for the second year running.  Last year saw a 20 per cent rise with more than 400,000 extra pigs being reared compared to 2009. And this figure has already gone up by another 166,000 animals in 2011, bringing the total number of pigs under the scheme to more than two and a half million**.

Leigh Grant, chief executive of Freedom Food, said:

This means that more than a quarter of all British farmed pigs are now benefitting from the RSPCA’s welfare standards, which is great progress.  It reinforces the fact that shoppers really do have the power to bring about positive changes to farm animals’ lives through what they buy. 

Sainsbury’s is the largest retailer of Freedom Food pork, followed by The Co-operative and Tesco.

*Figures are based on
license fee income for use
of the Freedom Food logo

**Animal numbers correct
as of July 2011