The government has rejected calls for compensation to be issued to farmers who have been forced to cull pigs as a result of on-farm backlogs caused by staff shortages in pork plants.
Defra farming minister Victoria Prentis ruled out support for farmers in England despite over 35,000 healthy pigs culled and disposed of due to the crisis.
The pig sector has persistently called for compensation as a result of the worsening backlog on farms caused by labour shortages in key processing sites.
The National Pig Association (NPA) warned that many farmers had 'exhausted' contingency plans and had ran out of space.
The trade body is seeking a compensation package from Defra to reflect the financial losses pig farmers are incurring as a result of factors out of their control.
The plea for support in England comes as tranches of compensation were made available to pig producers in Scotland and Northern Ireland late last year.
Mrs Prentis was recently asked by shadow farming minister Daniel Zeichner on a potential compensation package for English pig farmers "in regard to the culling of healthy pigs due to capacity restraints at abattoirs."
But the Defra farming minister responded by saying that the government "does not provide financial support for the culling of animals".
"Responsibility for animal welfare on the farm remains with the owner/keeper, who should have contingency plans in place to ensure the welfare of their animals."
Her comments echoed those made by Defra Secretary George Eustice, who told the EFRA Committee last year that shortages in pork plants represented a 'business risk' to producers and therefore costs arising from it would not qualify for compensation.
Mrs Prentis said she and Mr Eustice have "frequent discussions with the pig sector on the unique challenges the sector has faced this past year" and pointed out that Defra provided a package of support measures in October.
These included temporary work visas for up to 800 pork butchers, and Private Storage Aid (PSA) and Slaughter Incentive Payment (SIP) schemes to facilitate an increase in the throughput of pigs through abattoirs.
However, the NPA warned that these had "barely any impact so far on improving throughput in pork plants and reducing the backlog".
Mrs Prentis said Defra, with AHDB, was working to identify new export markets for pork, while AHDB and Quality Meat Scotland suspended the statutory levy for a month.
"The government will continue to monitor the evolving situation and work closely with the industry through this challenging period," she said.
