There are warnings that 120,000 pigs could be culled due to labour shortages.
Boris Johnson has downplayed concerns that the British farming industry could experience the largest cull in its history, in an interview in which he appeared not to know how the food processing industry works.
Appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme, the Prime Minister was asked about the warning from the British Meat Processing Association that around 120,000 pigs may have to be culled within weeks.
Farms across the country are faced with the possibility of having to cull thousands of pigs because of a huge labour shortages of abattoir workers and butchers. This has led to pigs staying on farms longer than they usually would and becoming too big and heavy for slaughter and packaging.
On Friday, Rob Mutimer, the chair of the National Pig Association said that Britain was facing an “acute welfare disaster” and that the industry is “within a couple of weeks of having to consider a mass cull” in the region of 100,000 to 120,000 animals.
But when confronted with the issue by Marr on Sunday morning, Johnson dismissed the concerns, claiming that this was just part of the farming industry.
He said: “I hate to break it to you Andrew but our food processing industry does involve killing a lot of animals.”
When the host pointed out that culled animals are incinerated and go to waste as opposed to being butchered and sold for food, the PM responded: “That is the reality. Your viewers need to understand that, that is just what happens.
“What you’re talking again about is an issue to do with a shortage of another particular type of workforce.
“Actually, what I think needs to happen is again there is a question about the types of jobs that are being done, the pay that is being offered, the levels of automation, the levels of investment.”
Marr reminded Johnson yet again that the pigs would not be sold for food and would instead be incinerated, but the PM simply accused him of…