Welfare regulations for pig producers which came into force on January 1 will put British bacon and pork a cut above the rest, farmers' leaders said today.

But they admit they may have a hard time persuading consumers to buy British if supermarkets continue importing meat from abroad which, although not produced in the same animal-friendly way, is cheaper to buy.

All farm units which used the traditional method of stalls and tethers for keeping sows must now, by law, be replaced in the United Kingdom.

The old system comprised of rows of individual stall which kept sows tethered separately in a confined space. New legislation bans such units and has meant a £250 million bill for farmers who have had to change production methods.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said the high cost of implementing the animal welfare legislation had come at a time of "crippling economic conditions and pitiful returns" in the British pig industry. Graham England, chairman of the NFU's pig committee, said: "UK pig farmers are struggling to come through the worst crisis the industry has experienced in living memory."

But he believes that the top credentials of UK pork and pigmeat will place them as "first choice products" among discerning buyers.

Talks with leading supermarkets have secured increased support for British-sourced pork and pigmeat and a quality mark is to be introduced to alert consumers to the high quality and welfare standards of home-produced products.

Agriculture minister Nick Brown has also helped negotiate clearer guidelines on labelling to enable customers to find British pork easily but the Government has ruled out offering pig farmers any specific financial aid package.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.