“Save Our Bacon” Campaign Sounds Alarm over Potential Bacon Shortage

Sep 25, 2012

National Pig Association (NPA) Predicts Pork and Bacon Shortage

The National Pig Association (NPA) has come out with a new prediction, saying that consumers should expect a worldwide shortage of bacon and pork products come 2014. The NPA is a British farm trade organization that represents the interests of pig producers in the United Kingdom.

The association says that Europe’s pork products supply, namely bacon, will face what they are calling an unavoidable situation which is largely driven by recent financial hardships faced by the industry. Being plagued with drought and rising feed prices has forced hog producers to shrink their herds or simply get out of the business.

The NPA has launched a nationwide campaign for what they are calling “Save Our Bacon” with the goal of making consumers aware of the dire situation and to encourage them to buy British bacon products. The trade group is calling on supermarkets to pay pig farmers a fair price for pork to help them cover the drought-related losses. The campaign has gained momentum, especially among some British MP’s who signed a pledge of support for the campaign. More information about the campaign can be found at http://www.npa-uk.org.uk/index.html

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.