United Kingdom-Support at last for pig farmers.

A EURO MP has issued a rallying cry to support Buckinghamshire pig farms.

Lib Dem MEP, Sharon Bowles, who represents South East England at the European parliament in Brussels, has made the plea following celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s high-profile campaign to save the British pig industry. The number of pigs bred in the UK has halved over the last decade.

The industry has suffered from the backlash on British meat generally in the wake of the Foot and mouth disease outbreak.

Although pigs were not infected, the crisis had a severe impact on the reputation and transport of meat in the country.

Lib Dem MEP, Sharon Bowles, said she backs television cook Oliver’s campaign to support British reared meat.

She said: "Since ’Jamie Saves our Bacon’ was aired on Channel 4 last week, several supermarkets have recorded increased sales in British pork.

"This shows that people clearly care about the origin and quality of their food. "In the UK we have the highest standards of animal husbandry and this is an issue people care about. "We have pressed to get EU regulations to improve animal welfare, but it is always a struggle to get them through and often then they are less than the UK already does or are delayed for several years before becoming compulsory."