Hot weather leads to pork shortage

A high mortality rate among pigs because of the stifling heat has led to a shortage of eight per cent in pork on the market, the head of the government veterinary services, Lino Vella, said yesterday. A number of butchers called The Times to complain...

A high mortality rate among pigs because of the stifling heat has led to a shortage of eight per cent in pork on the market, the head of the government veterinary services, Lino Vella, said yesterday.

A number of butchers called The Times to complain about a shortage in pork products.

A spokesman at the Rural Affairs Ministry said the ministry was aware of the problem and had already taken action. It had issued two exemption orders to allow the importation of levy-free pork, one in June and one in July, and would be issuing another in August.

The usual levy on pork products is 93 cents per kilo for bone-in pork and Lm1.04 per kilo for boneless pork.

Dr Vella said pigs were very sensitive to heat and such a shortage occurred every four years or so. It is expected to last around six months.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.