Pig farmers sue government

Farmers warn there may soon be "nothing left to save"

The government is facing a High Court challenge over allegations that it is unlawfully discriminating against the British pig industry.

Farmers are seeking £200m compensation because they say the government failed to provide aid to the industry following the BSE crisis.

Unlike their counterparts in the beef and sheep industries they have had to meet the costs of tough new regulations concerning animal feed which were introduced in the wake of the BSE crisis.

The farmers say the extra costs mean it is impossible for them to compete with overseas producers and are warning that "there will be nothing left to save" if ministerial aid is not forthcoming.

The British Pig Industry Support Group says that by the end of February, 30% of the UK's sow herd had been slaughtered - a move that caused thousands of job losses.

The group is seeking judicial review against Agriculture Minister Nick Brown, arguing that he is legally obliged to provide funding in order to avoid acting in a discriminatory way.

The UK's cattle industry has received nearly £2bn in aid to help meet the costs of BSE safety measures.

No such aid has been forthcoming to help pig farmers meet offal disposal costs and other expenses estimated at up to £270m.

Lawyers for the farmers will argue that the European Commission has recognised that their plight was an "exceptional occurrence" merited state intervention.

A successful High Court hearing would see the pig farmers seeking £200m in compensation.

The National Pig Association estimates that farmers have lost as much money in the 18 months to last February as they made in the last 18 years.

Extra public health costs arising from the BSE crisis amounted to an estimated £5.26 extra per pig, although BSE had nothing to do with pig meat.

Cheaply-made foreign pigmeat, mainly from Denmark and The Netherlands, is blamed for threatening the UK farmers' traditional markets.

Estimates of the numbers of UK pig farmers who have gone bust vary between 500 and 2,500, some of whom are said to have committed suicide because of financial pressures.