“’Let’s talk about pork from Europe’ is the signature of the communication campaign that the European Commission has just launched with the purpose of demystifying some of the most frequent myths about pork”, said in a statement, those responsible for the initiative.

The campaign, scheduled to last three years, kicks off in Portugal, Spain and France, countries chosen for the importance that pork has in the local economy and the Mediterranean diet.

The campaign, mainly aimed at young people up to the age of 30, with an estimated investment of around 7.5 million Euros, is managed by the sectoral entities of each country - Aligrupo - Grouping of Pig Producers, Agrupalto - Grouping of Agricultural Producers (Portugal), Interporc - Interprofessional del Porcino de Capa Blanca (Spain) and Inaporc - Interprofession Nationale Porcine (France).

For the Portuguese market, the investment is estimated at 1.4 million Euros.

“Pork is one of the most consumed meats in the world, but it has been the target of wrong and sometimes defamatory messages, which negatively associate pig production with sensitive issues related to the environment, food safety and animal welfare. This misinformation has led the public, and especially the younger ones, to substitute the consumption of pork meat for other food items”, the document reads.

Cited in the same communiqué, the president of Aligrupo, Vitor Menino, stated that, over the next three years, there will be an opportunity to “demystify and clarify doubts about the relationship between pigs and the environment, and also with food security, research, diversity, nutritional benefits and animal nutrition”.

In Portugal, each inhabitant eats about 44 kilograms (kg) of pork per year.

The pig sector contributes to the gross domestic product (GDP) with an aggregate turnover of more than one billion Euros and employs more than 50 thousand workers.

The ‘Let’s talk about pork from Europe’ campaign will run on various media such as television and social media.