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	Podcast:		Farming Today
	Episode:		27/02/23 - Pork prices, dairy volatility and hoof trimming
	Category:		Science & Medicine
	Duration:		00:11:21
	Publish Date:		2023-02-27 06:00:00
	Description:		Pigs farmers are still losing money on every pig they sell for slaughter, despite record high prices. The latest figures from the industry body the AHDB show farmers have been losing money on pigs since late 2020, although losses have dropped from a high of £58 a pig to £17 a pig by the end of last year. As we've been reporting for the past few years, this is because of a combination of a shortage of butchers at abattoirs, leading to pigs backing up on farms, and increases in the cost of heating sheds and feeding the animals. Dairy farmers got record prices for milk last year to cover their increasing costs. But now those prices are falling and are expected to fall further as more milk becomes available in the spring. We hear from two farmer-owned co-operatives, Arla and First Milk. And we meet Sophie Mitchell-Smith - who has become a social media star through hoof trimming. She started helping her father Richard back in 2012 - and during lockdown began posting on Instagram, where she now has 15,000 followers. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
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