A Christmas “GammonWatch” campaign has been unveiled by the National Pig Association (NPA) to help name and shame retailers that fail to provide customers with a choice of genuine British high-welfare, farm-assured gammon.
Launching the campaign, NPA said that many retailers and restaurants have relied on cheap imported pork in previous years which, having been cured in Britain, has then been legally, but misleadingly, labelled as “Produced in the United Kingdom”.
“Typically only 30% gammons for the festive market are British, despite there being a plentiful supply from domestic producers,” said NPA chairman, Richard Lister.
“If retailers want the convenience of a thriving British pig sector on their doorstep, producing reliable supplies 52 weeks of the year of a quality-assured, traceable, high-welfare product, then it’s essential they make a special effort to support British pig farmers over the Christmas period.”