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July 25, 2008 10:04:17 PM CDT

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UK Pig Farmers Squeal Poverty

Posted Mar 26, 08 10:39 AM CDT in World 

(Newser) – Floundering British pig farmers are on the march behind a curious protest song: "Stand by Your Ham." With feed prices soaring, UK farmers say they're losing $50 on every pig they sell, so they’re begging anyone who’ll listen to support higher pork prices, reports the Wall Street Journal. They've taken to the streets alongside Winnie the Pig, their 500-pow sow mascot, and a massive pink plywood cutout tallying their losses.

The antics have garnered lots of attention, but attention alone won’t save the pig farmers. Big retailers say they’re trying to help, paying suppliers more for pork and sticking with British meat, but farmers are still feeling the squeeze. “We work so hard day and night that we ought to be getting somewhere,” said one farmwife. “But we're hanging by our teeth.”

Source Wall Street Journal

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Winnie the pig joins pig farmers in their protest outside Downing St on March 4, 2008 in London, England.   (Getty Images)
11-day-old Gloucester Old Spot pig dubbed Valentine, who was born on Jan 29 with a heart-shaped patch on his side, pictured Monday Feb 11, 2008. (AP Photo/Gloucester Citizen/PA)   (AP Photo)
Winnie the pig joins pig farmers in their protest outside Downing St on March 4, 2008 in London, England.   (Getty Images)
British pig farmers hold a demonstration outside Downing Street in central London, on March 4, 2008.   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Stand by your ham - Pig Aid   (Gammondays (YouTube))
Spider Pig flies over London's Battersea Power Station   (simpsonsmoviechannel (YouTube))

« Prev « Prev  |  Next » Next »
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Great Britain  • farmer  • meat  • pork  • pig


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