Twelve farms located across North Aberdeenshire and Angus, Scotland have signed on to provide The Co-op, a leading consumer co-operative that operates 3,750 retail outlets throughout the United Kingdom, with locally produced bacon. The food retailer continues to act on a pledge to source only meats produced by British farmers for its store-brand meat and poultry products.

“We know that Scottish customers want to eat Scottish produce so we’re delighted to be able to launch this new range of Ayrshire bacon which consumers can enjoy, knowing it has been made exclusively from Scottish-reared pork,” said Ben Grant, the Co-op’s chilled goods buyer. “Being able to swap our existing bacon products to 100-percent Scottish pork provides further evidence of our commitment to supporting the nation’s farmers and gives shoppers another opportunity to buy home-grown products.”

The bacon is produced under the Irresistible range and is cured by hand and air-dried for up to 21 days. The products will bear the Specially Selected Pork label which is approved by the Scottish SPCA in an effort to highlight the high welfare standard for pigs on Scottish farms.

“This is a very positive move which further demonstrates the extremely high standards of welfare on Scottish pig farms,” Scottish SPCA area inspector Fiona McKenzi said. “Consumers purchasing Specially Selected Pork labeled as approved by the Scottish SPCA can be confident the product has been sourced from farms where the health and welfare of pigs is a top priority.”