Meeting energy requirements of pigs in these cold conditions, particularly for those outdoors, is also vital, says BPEX's Helen Thoday. "A medium-sized sow at 10C would need 3.5kg a day of a good sow ration. However, at 0C the requirement increases to 4.3kg a day and, for those seeing temperatures below freezing, at least another 1kg will have to be added on to that for maintenance," she says.

And with the weather making routine jobs harder for both indoor and outdoor producers, Ms Thoday believes there is the potential for production to suffer.

"Because everything is taking so long in the weather and because good production is linked to attention to detail, production could fall because there is not enough time in the day to do the detailed jobs. So farmers shouldn't be surprised if performance was to drop or flatline."

Bedding up correctly in outdoor huts will also be essential to make sure temperature requirements of sows and piglets are met. "It will be tough for any piglets being born in to these minus temperature conditions, so adding bedding little and often to make sure they always have a dry top layer will be necessary.

Ms Thoday also urges farmers to assess straw stocks, as there may be a shortage this year due to adverse weather. "During November more straw was used than normal due to wet weather, so it's vital farmers understand what stocks they have and make links with local arable farmers when they think they are going to run short."