Plans for an off-farm cull and render service to help struggling producers reduce the backlog of pigs on-farm have been dropped.
As part of plans unveiled in October, the AHDB was going to fund an off-farm cull and render service for mature pigs as a 'backstop' for farmers.
The service was proposed to help alleviate the labour shortage crisis facing the UK food supply chain, which has in turn created a backlog of pigs on farms.
The levy organisation was in the process of setting up the plant, which would have had the capacity for between 2,000 and 3,000 mature pigs per week.
AHDB was going to cover the £20,000 set up cost and any idle time staff costs during its operation, while producers would have paid the plant a charge per pig culled and rendered for the service.
However, the AHDB said that legal restrictions and requirements around two separate elements of a licensed meat business and those of a knackery operating in the same building had forced the plan to be abandoned.
It added that one of the concerns was how it could be guaranteed that animals culled at the plant would not enter the food chain.
AHDB divisional director of engagement, Will Jackson said the levy board was now exploring other potential off-farm culling options with Defra.
He said: “The off-farm cull and render option we were exploring to help mitigate the impact of the challenging situation our pork levy payers are experiencing, is unfortunately not able to proceed."
It comes the National Pig Association (NPA) recently urged Defra Secretary George Eustice to convene a roundtable bringing together all parts of the supply chain to discuss the worsening crisis.
The sector's current crisis is a direct result of slaughterhouse and butchery worker shortages linked to Brexit and the impact of the pandemic.
Feed prices are also continuing to increase while pig prices plummet, adding to the already dire financial situation faced by many farmers.
According to the NPA, 16,000 pigs have been culled on farms, but this figure is likely to be a "gross under-estimate once unreported cases are factored in".
