Simmers' receivership confirms unprecedented crisis King Arthur's empire falls Crisis in the pig market has claimed its biggest victim with the collapse of Arthur Simmers' huge Scottish agribusiness empire. Receivership was confirmed on Monday, apparently justifying producers' claims that their industry is suffering a commercial calamity of unprecedented severity. Although Scotland's pig sector is relatively small, the Simmers pig enterprise is large by any UK standards: its breeding herd numbers more than 18,000 head, and extra pigs are sourced from other producers. It is understood the receivers also have control of Simmers' 3,500 acres of Aberdeenshire farmland. The issue of most immediate concern to processors and retailers is what the receivers will do with the breeding pigs. Any attempt to dispose of them into the commercial trade quickly would risk wrecking an already badly damaged market, as the numbers would be equivalent to more than a fortnight's total UK sow cull. Failure of the Simmers business is certain to fuel further protests by farmers who claim retailers are not supporting the industry, but its greater significance may be in posing a new threat to other livestock suppliers and even calling into question the financial structure of the industry. This is because the bankers appear to have deemed the value of the entire Simmers breeding herd and its progeny as nil for going concern working capital debt security purposes. If so, almost the entire UK pig production sector could be regarded as now insolvent. {{MEAT }}