Those wanting an organic ham on their Christmas table had better get a move on

The meat from well-treated organic pigs sells well before Christmas. Why, then, are there only ten or so organic pig farms in the entire country?

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By Ville Seuri
     
      If the recent stir over the conditions at Finnish pig farms (see earlier articles) has caused one to want to decorate the Christmas table with a ham from a pig that has been treated slightly more affectionately - before the slaughtering, that is - one would be well-advised to hurry up.
     
The fact is that the meat counters will run out of organic hams well before Christmas comes around.
      “I have ordered a hundred organic hams from a farm in Ilmajoki, and all have already been reserved”, says shopkeeper Timo Virtanen from the E. Hakkarainen butcher's shop in the Hakaniemi Market Hall.
      In the neighbouring Reinin Liha outlet there were still some organic hams left. Of the 150 hams ordered in, a third were still available.
      “They will all go this weekend”, reckons entrepreneur Pirjo Passinen.
      Virtanen regrets that he did not order more organic hams. He suspects he could have sold twice as many.
      “There have been enquiries every day.”
      If there is demand, how come the availability of organic pork is not better?
     
”The farmers are afraid of bureaucracy”, says executive manager Visa Vilkuna from the Union of Organic Farming.
      “Furthermore, running an organic pig farm is more laborious and more demanding than running a regular farm, as the pigs will have to be let outside and the beddings of their stalls have to be changed from time to time.”
      There are only a dozen or so organic pig farms in the entire country.
      That is a pitifully small number considering that in all there are 2,300 pig farms up and down Finland.
     
Because of the sparse number of the organic farms, the meat producers do not have access to sufficient quantities of organic pork to justify the keeping up of organic production.
      “There is demand, but the limited availability of raw material only warrants a narrow range of products”, says managing director Arto Jokinen of Pajuniemi Oy.
      The firm is one of the few meat-processing companies in Finland with organic pork on their list of articles.
     
And it is not enough that people buy hams at Christmas.
      There should be sufficient demand for organic pork throughout the year.
      In Jokinen’s view the weak availability of organically-produced protein, such as soy fodder, has also inconvenienced organic pig farms.
     
According to Vilkuna, for organic pig farming to become more common, it would require one of the large meat-processing houses to start developing organic pork products.
      Neither HK nor Atria, however, have plans to introduce organic pork products, even though both firms will start selling organic beef next year.
      “There is more demand for organic meat, but producing organic pork is so expensive”, says director Matti Perälä, who is responsible for the meat and primary production at Atria. “I reckon the production costs are about double.”
     
What are the consumers prepared to pay for organic pork?
      “If I want organic, I will buy it regardless of the price”, says customer Timo Rämä at the Hakkarainen butcher’s stall.
      Reinin Liha customer Aino Karjalainen agrees. She has just bought a joint of pork from the stall.
      “If one knew that the pig has been treated well, one could pay more for its meat.”
      But even Karjalainen says she could not put up with a price difference of several euros per kilo.
      A good many consumers will probably agree, and it is to be expected that cheaper Danish or Finnish hams will sell as well as ever.
     
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 12.12.2009


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Extensive changes demanded in animal welfare rules (10.12.2009)
  Anttila promises extensive improvements in conditions on pig farms (26.11.2009)
  Three Finnish pig farms may face charges over violation of animal welfare legislation (4.3.2008)
  Farmers´ union denounces squalid conditions revealed at pig farms (11.12.2009)

Links:
  Finnish Christmas Ham

VILLE SEURI / Helsingin Sanomat
ville.seuri@hs.fi