One week dedicated to Porc from Wales has generated an influx of interest and new support for the product.
Porc from Wales Week, which ran between January 24-30, 2021, saw over 12,000 website page views and hundreds of new social media followers which led to 1.9 million impressions and nearly 338,000 recipe video views.
Arranged for the fourth year running by Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) in collaboration with Menter Moch Cymru, one of its main aims was to draw consumer attention to locally produced pork – or ‘porc’ to give it its Welsh spelling and point of difference – by asking people to consider ‘how far is your fork from our porc?’
The promotional push forms part of HCC’s support for the pork sector which is currently facing a number of significant challenges. These include processing problems, a shortage of skilled workers in England and the added pressure on margins largely due to rising feed costs. This combination has led to below-average prices for pigs across the UK.
HCC’s market development manager, Rhys Llywelyn said:
“Despite the knock-on effect of turbulent conditions within the pork processing sector outside Wales, and a significant difference in size when compared against our lamb and beef sectors, the profile of the porc industry in Wales is growing and has its own fantastic tale to tell.
“Porc from Wales Week was an opportunity to educate people on the niche nature of the sector, the short supply chains and the high degree of animal welfare provided by artisan producers who love what they do.
“This year we took on the opportunity to reinforce positive buying habits adopted by many consumers during the various lockdowns of the last two years, by reminding consumers why they should buy locally produced porc.
“Carefully planned targeted advertising pointed consumers towards a digital map which displayed the location of all our porc producers across Wales.”
