Farmers need to be paid a higher price for pork, bacon and poultry products to combat losses caused by soaring feed prices, the industry has warned.

THE National Farmers' Union (NFU) hit out at supermarkets which have been engaged in a price war to push down prices, and said that "farm-gate prices" paid by retailers and processors to farmers must rise to safeguard UK farming.

The NFU said that the pig sector was losing £3.9m per week because of increased feed prices, as the cost of wheat is driven up by poor harvests and global demand.