He has achieved a remarkable turnaround with his business - and runs a thriving contract breeding unit on the Euston Estate, near Thetford.

Last month, he was one of just three farmers across the country to reach the finals of the highly prestigious Farmers' Weekly Pig Farmer of the Year Award.

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Euston pig farmer Chris Fogden (Image: Sonya Duncan)

The winners were announced at a glittering ceremony in London on October 2.

In the end he was pipped at the post by Norfolk farmer Mike Durrant of Bunns Farm - but it was quite a evening.

"I was very pleased to be in the finals," says Chris - who was one of 1200 people in the audience. "It was an incredible evening."

Judges were impressed with how he managed to pick himself up again after he came crashing down during the UK pig crisis of 2021/22.

Euston pig farmer Chris Fogden (Image: Sonya Duncan)

During the crisis, pig prices hit the floor and there was a glut of them entering the market.

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This caused a huge backlog which brought many farmers to their knees. Some left the industry altogether - but Chris hung on.

He estimates that during that dark period in the early 2020s he lost half a million pounds - and........

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