A consignment of products to help Ukrainian pig farmers is on its way from the UK to the war-hit country’s pig producing regions.
The consignment was drawn together by the National Pig Association (NPA) and allied members after receiving an appeal for support from the Ukrainian pig industry.
A few weeks ago, the Association of Ukrainian pig breeders issued a plea for humanitarian assistance as the war generates an 'enormous' crisis for the country's pig industry.
Its message to the global pork sector listed certain feed ingredients and veterinary products needed to maintain the country's 3.6 million-strong pig herd.
The products from the UK are travelling to Kyiv via Poland, and then to pig businesses in the Donbass region in the east, the Mykolaiv region in the south and in the west of Ukraine.
NPA allied industry member Jonathan Bradley, of Suffolk-based equipment supplier Genetics Solutions, helped draw up the consignment with the help of a German firm and a distributor in Ukraine.
In the context of the massive problems facing Ukraine pig farmers, he described the donation as a "drop in the ocean to what is going to be needed short and long term."
However, he said he was pleased to contribute to directly to where aid was needed, and intended to do so again in the coming months.
The Association of Ukrainian pig breeders said the war had caused a "crisis of enormous scale that threatens food security, particularly the animal protein supply".
"The industry is currently under extreme circumstances that are far from routine," the association added.
"Vast areas are in close proximity to war zones, numerous pig producers cannot sell pigs to be slaughtered, some of them are isolated by occupiers and have no choice but to euthanise the animals."
It said that traditional supply chains were broken - access to certain feed ingredients and veterinary products was limited due to problems with logistics.
The association added there was a lack of revolving funds in sending collecting and shipping to Ukraine of any amount of products listed."
