UK pork production

That this House acknowledges the damage sustained by UK pork producers as a result of the delay in reinstating certain processing sites' Chinese exporting licences after they were voluntarily suspended in line with UK Government advice during covid; understands that to date the suspension of export licences has cost the industry £30 million per annum and caused a 20 per cent reduction in UK pig numbers since 2021; recognises that as a result of the export licence suspension, Pilgrim's, Britain's largest provider of higher welfare pork, have opted to close their Ashton-under-Lyme site putting 542 workers at risk of redundancy; and calls on the Government to do all it can to secure the reinstatement by China of export licenses, to prevent further damage to the UK pork industry.