I farm: “Sucklers and pigs in Ballingarry, Co Tiperary.”

Sucklers: “I have 25 sucklers. They’re all pretty much Angus and I have an Angus bull. I sell the calves as weanlings but I haven’t sold any calves yet; they’re still on the cow all the while.”

Pigs: “I have 1,000 sows. We run a farrow to finish system and we have five full-time staff here. The pigs are all Landrace and Large White breeds. We’re selling pigs every week. We sell everything through Rosderra.”

Tough times: “The past couple of years have been tough, very tough for pig farmers as a whole. You have mounting feed bills and every other type of costs. You have feed, electricity, oil for heating the shed and not to mention the wages too. There are big costs.”

The market: “The price fell back a bit last week. That was very disappointing. I thought it would have held up a bit longer after they improved in the summer.”

Investments: “Every pig farmer has had to invest heavily over the years for animal welfare. Investment is not on the minds of many people at the minute; it’s just about paying the bills.”

Future: “I do think that there is a good future for the sector. If we can keep the production costs down and keep everything right then everyone can do well. We’ve had a couple of really tough years but hopefully the price can continue to push on over the next six months or so to make up for what was lost.”

Family: “I’m married to Sarah and we have three children – Roisin, Mossy and Orlaith. Don’t ask me where any of the fadas go! My parents Tommy and Mary are involved in the running of the farm.”

Quotable quote: “It’s about keeping the head above water in the bad times so that you can make money in the better times.”

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Full series: My farming week