The pig industry has slammed Asda's "continued failure" to support British produce, as a survey shows the retailer's domestic offerings have drastically fallen.
The May Porkwatch survey by the National Pig Association (NPA) shows Asda’s British fresh pork facings fell from 44% in March to just 34%.
This was once the lowest figure among the 10 top retailers by a huge margin, according to the NPA who conduct monthly surveys of retailers' commitments to British.
The Leeds-based retailer also posted the lowest figure for bacon, 31%, albeit up from 21% in March.
NPA chief executive Zoe Davies thanked those retailers that are backing British pork, but described Asda’s performance as "shocking", adding that the figures only reinforce concerns over the planned Sainsbury’s-Asda merger.
“If Asda’s philosophy of shunning British pork is carried over to the new organisation, this could be very damaging for the British pork sector,” Ms Davies said.
However, Asda has since hit back and said it is committed to supplying "great value" pork and sources British "wherever possible".
Challenged to explain its position, an Asda spokesperson said: “We are committed to providing our customers with great value pork consistently from quality sources and will always provide a British option wherever possible.
“100% of our pork shoulder joints, mince, fillet, medallions and our Extra Special range is British pork and, for all our other pork products, including chops, steaks and barbecue, we offer a clearly labelled British version. We also fully support the British pig industry through the Red Tractor and Farm Assurance Schemes.”
The NPA said that Asda's response does not explain why eight of the other top 10 UK retailers manage to consistently stock 100% British fresh pork.
