Pig farmers trot out Internet song to save bacon

In what they say is a last-ditch attempt to save the country's pork industry, dozens of pig farmers gathered in London on Thursday to record their song "Stand by your Ham".

The song -- which reworks Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man" with a porcine theme -- is intended to alert the public to a sector that farmers say is being pushed to extinction by greedy supermarket chains and rising feed prices.

"Stand by your ham," runs the chorus. "Sausages, pork and bacon/Help us stay in business/Because our pigs are worth it/Stand by your ham."

With little singing experience but fuelled by enthusiasm and bacon sandwiches, the 20 to 30 farmers hope to rely on affection for traditional pork products from pies to sausages.

It will be available for download from the weekend from the website www.pigsareworthit.com

"It's a lighthearted way of drawing attention to a very serious issue," Yorkshire pig farmer Richard Longthorp told reporters by telephone from the recording session.

"If this doesn't stop, then as sure as eggs is eggs, the industry is going to disappear."

The farmers say they lose more than 20 pounds a pig after unprecedented rises in feed prices fuelled by soaring global cereal prices due to higher fuel costs, competition from biofuels, increased demand from Asia and drought in Australia.

The National Pig Association says surveys show consumers are willing to pay a little more to help famers and keep high-quality pig farming -- which farmers say puts animal welfare first -- in business. They want politicians to put pressure on retailers.

According to a recent National Pig Association survey, 95pc of farmers are considering stopping production if the price they receive does not improve.

(Agencies)

本周四，几十位养猪农户齐聚伦敦，录制他们的歌曲《守住你的火腿》。养猪户们称这是他们为拯救本国猪肉业所做的最后一搏。

这首“猪之歌”改编自泰米•维奈特的《守候你的男人》，旨在引起公众对猪肉业的关注。农户们称，由于超市连锁店的贪得无厌和饲料价格持续上涨，目前这一行业正逐渐萎缩。

歌曲的副歌部分是这样写的：“守住你的火腿！香肠、猪肉和熏肉/帮助我们站稳脚跟/因为我们的猪宝宝确实值得/守住你的火腿。”

这二三十位农户没什么演唱经验，但在热情和“熏肉三明治”的支撑下，他们希望能从人们对馅饼、香肠等传统猪肉食品的热爱中得到些支持。

Pigsareworthit.com网站将于本周末提供这首歌曲的下载。

约克郡养猪户理查德•朗索普在录音时接受记者的电话采访时说：“这是在用一种轻松愉快的方式引起人们对一个十分严峻的问题予以关注。”

“如果这种状况持续下去，那么毫无疑问，这个行业必将会消失。”

农户们说，由于全球谷物价格不断上涨造成饲料价格飙升，现在他们每头猪的损失达到了二十多英镑。而全球谷物价格的上涨主要是由燃油价格上涨、来自生物燃料行业的竞争、亚洲地区谷物需求量的增加以及澳大利亚的旱灾等因素造成的。

据全国养猪协会介绍，调查显示，消费者愿意多花一点钱来帮助养猪农户、保证高质养猪业的发展（按照农户的话说就是，将‘动物福利’放在首位）。他们希望政界人士能在这方面给零售商们施加压力。

据全国养猪协会的一项最新调查，95%的农户表示，如果生猪收购价格不提高，他们将考虑停产。

Vocabulary:

last-ditch attempt:最后一搏

as sure as eggs is eggs:毫无疑问；千真万确