Any industry aiming to be part of the future in an increasingly global marketplace must plan for that future and anticipate the need for change. Driving forward the government's ambitions as a science superpower, a 2022 Spending Review committed record levels of investment in the UK's world-leading research base over the next three years, with R&D spending set to increase by £5 billion to £20 billion a year by 2024-2025 - a 33% increase in spending over the current parliament by 2024-2025. As it happens, the government has allocated £11m for certain agricultural research projects costing between £1m and £3m which focus on boosting productivity and enhancing sustainability. These are highly relevant to the pig industry.

There will be big changes in research priorities
Such announcements do little to inspire the UK pig industry whose recent priority has been to survive to the end of the month rather than contemplate the future. Despite this grim reality, what's left of the pig industry's research base comprises the gateway to its future. It has not been a good time for researchers and armchair prophets heralding the need for change nor for sharing their new ideas with those at the sharp end of our industry. Nevertheless, organisations such as the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (Pork) and National Pig Association have continued to nurture their close liaison with university departments and researchers. Such links are necessary to help identify and support industry relevant research priorities and safeguard the pig industry in what inevitably will be a much changed future.

Enhanced sustainability will provide a competitive edge
Throughout the whole of global agriculture and particularly within the fiercely competitive pig industry, research priorities are dominated by sustainability demands. Within the UK, the government has set a target for a net zero carbon footprint by 2050. In recognition of the need for UK agriculture to remain a key global player, the NFU has shown commendable foresight setting its own demanding target of carbon neutrality by 2040. Against this background, other research priorities pale into insignificance. Interested onlookers acknowledge that the pig industry has made impressive advances towards carbon neutrality in recent years. It is way ahead of those producing meat from ruminants. In particular, because of the close relationship between indoor pig production and arable farming, plus the bonus of soil enrichment from outdoor pig friendly production, our home industry should have a head start on the competition.

European competitors have been particularly sharp in acknowledging this environmental reality. Consequently they have been proactive in enhancing their sustainability credentials. The EU's main exporters of pig products have got the message and aim to become global leaders in sustainability issues. Food miles is but one aspect of life cycle assessment of any product. Researchers at Queen's University, Belfast under the umbrella of the Centre for Innovation In Agriculture (CIEL) have appraised changes in the environmental impacts of modern pig production in Great Britain over 18 recent years. Findings indicate that genetic selection for lean meat production in fast growing pigs has already led to much needed improvements in the efficiency of energy utilisation.

Overall, the system changes led to reductions, for indoor and outdoor bred systems respectively, of 37.0% and 35.4% for global warming potential, 21.2% and 16.4% in terrestrial acidification potential, 22.5% and 22.3% in freshwater eutrophication potential, 15.8% and 16.8% in agricultural land use and 16.5% and 16.1% in fossil resource scarcity. Whereas the outstanding changes in pig performance had a useful environmental impact, the bigger impact arose because of changes in feed composition.

Looking forward there will have to be massive changes in what we feed our pigs
Sustainability enhancement must be regarded as a long-term objective and the associated changes will be painful for many of those currently working on the food supply chain. It will be driven by those who have a strong focus on the need for climate change. They will campaign for a change in modern farming practices which become part of the common objective. It will be driven by the government, go-ahead farmers and multidisciplinary innovators. Their collaborative efforts will be strongly influenced by those who hope to be around after 2050.

Many of today's young people are comfortable in this era of social media and are quick to use it to their advantage. While not clued-up on the complexities of the bigger picture, they are adamant that changes are needed in how their food and particularly their meat is produced. Consequently this socially focussed sector of the population have latched onto climate change as a means of ensuring that their pipe dream becomes a reality.

Biological circularity will become more important
New thinking suggests that farmers will have to sharpen their focus on unlocking the biological potential within the area of land they farm. They will be expected to have less reliance on chemical inputs beyond the farm gate and lessen the pollution impact that enterprises without the buffer of broad acres create. Inevitably yields of cereals will be reduced, and it will become less affordable to use the remaining tonnage of cereals to feed farm animals.



The future pig industry will have to make vast changes in ration composition since there is now less scope for exploiting improvements arising from better pig productivity. Those who produce pigs outdoors on suitable arable land will be early adopters of this need and within the associated farm boundary there will be more emphasis on growing pulse crops for feeding to pigs and utilising more arable by-products. An increased use of anaerobic digestion will also help to boost the circularity credentials of pigs fed indoors.

The foregoing will not have been easy reading for pig people who have worked closely with scientists to develop our modern industry. However, those still reading will be those who seek to understand the consequences of comprising just a part of one cog of several that convey a shortening food chain.



The Sustainable Food Trust's report Feeding Britain From The Ground Up should have sounded a wake-up call for the pig industry. Some of its conclusions were spine chilling. The report forecasted that future grain production would halve and pulse production would double, resulting in a 75% reduction in pork and chicken production. It was suggested that our staple meats would become beef and lamb delivered from grassland production. Emerging from this cloud of methane was a suggestion that beef and lamb production would continue to be produced in quantities similar to present times. Those who want a future in pig farming must not only be aware of the pressures from concerned consumers but also of those emanating from the 'enlightened' arable and ruminant sector.