Pig farmers have called on Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to follow the example of other EU member states by introducing crisis funding to the pig sector via direct support measures.
This funding must be delivered before farmers are forced to cut their losses and stop serving sows, farmers have warned, as debt has already bee incurred, leaving an exit from pig farming an unviable option for those at the end of their financial tether.
The minister heard these calls from the farmers attending an IFA pigs crisis meeting last Thursday.
The crisis in the pig industry has continued to exert damage on farm margins, as stubbornly-low prices are pit against rising input costs on farms, according to the IFA.
“If left in the ring of market forces’ constant cycles, the strongest gladiators of the retail sector will win and the goose that laid the golden egg will be dead,” IFA pig chair Roy Gallie warned the minister.
“From 110,00 pig farmers in 1960 – five years after I was born – to 300 commercial pig farmers today. I call it the ‘poultrification’ of the pig industry,” Gallie said.
EU funding rules
Minister McConalogue told farmers that EU State aid rules must be followed when delivering emergency funding. The minister is looking at a package under State aid provisions, which the Irish Farmers Journal understands would allow for a maximum of €20,000 per farmer..
A decision will be made on the emergency aid in the coming weeks,, the minister confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal.
France has been the latest member state to announce funding for its pig sector, with €15,000 per farmer set to be issued within 15 days.
Poland, Belgium and the Netherlands have all provided direct aid payments to pig farmers in light of the COVID-19 and African swine fever market disruptions.
Séimí Murphy – Co Waterford
Séimí Murphy explained that there is a risk of backed up pigs going overweight and being subjected to an out-of-spec penalty.
“Getting pigs killed is an issue.
“There is a backlog of pigs on farm but the biggest issues are the cost of feed and the price of the pig we are getting.
“There is a penalty for going overweight but, also, we are getting penalised on feed conversions.
“We need some sort of support to get us through the next few months – things just do not make financial sense.”
Michael O’Shea – Roscrea,
Co Tipperary
Michael O’Shea has said that meal prices must ease and pig prices rise for farmers to see a positive margin in producing pigs.
“I am pig farming 15 years on my own. It is the worst period I have seen and probably the worst the generation ahead of me has seen as well.
“If there is no change to grain prices – and it looks like there will not be for a period of time – and pig prices do not improve, I do not know where will be.
“If something does not happen today, I have a fear that 25% of pig farmers are going to be in trouble within the next couple of months.”
Eugene Sheahan – Mitchelstown, Co Cork
Input costs have been spiralling out of control, with no reflection of these costs seen in pig prices yet, according to Eugene Sheahan,
“This crisis is terrible for pig farmers. The price of pigs is falling and everything else is going up – energy, feed, labour, insurance, everything. This is unsustainable for pig farmers at this point in time.
“We are in a crisis and a lot of this has got to do with farmers not being able to get pigs killed because factories cannot get workers and the price of feed has gone out of control - totally and completely.”
Shane McAuliffe – Castleisland, Co Kerry
Shane McAuliffe said factory capacity has gotten so bad that there is a back-up of pigs on his farm.
“We are at a stage now where the factory capacity has got so bad that we are backed up with pigs on farm. Our hands are tied. We have no way of getting them sold.
“Because we cannot sell these pigs, we cannot get immediate access to cash. Many people are struggling just to buy feed. They are stuck. They have no way of getting out of this spiral of debt that they are in.”
Pig farmers have called on Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to follow the example of other EU member states by introducing crisis funding to the pig sector via direct support measures.
This funding must be delivered before farmers are forced to cut their losses and stop serving sows, farmers have warned, as debt has already bee incurred, leaving an exit from pig farming an unviable option for those at the end of their financial tether.
The minister heard these calls from the farmers attending an IFA pigs crisis meeting last Thursday.
The crisis in the pig industry has continued to exert damage on farm margins, as stubbornly-low prices are pit against rising input costs on farms, according to the IFA.
“If left in the ring of market forces’ constant cycles, the strongest gladiators of the retail sector will win and the goose that laid the golden egg will be dead,” IFA pig chair Roy Gallie warned the minister.
“From 110,00 pig farmers in 1960 – five years after I was born – to 300 commercial pig farmers today. I call it the ‘poultrification’ of the pig industry,” Gallie said.
EU funding rules
Minister McConalogue told farmers that EU State aid rules must be followed when delivering emergency funding. The minister is looking at a package under State aid provisions, which the Irish Farmers Journal understands would allow for a maximum of €20,000 per farmer..
A decision will be made on the emergency aid in the coming weeks,, the minister confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal.
France has been the latest member state to announce funding for its pig sector, with €15,000 per farmer set to be issued within 15 days.
Poland, Belgium and the Netherlands have all provided direct aid payments to pig farmers in light of the COVID-19 and African swine fever market disruptions.
Séimí Murphy – Co Waterford
Séimí Murphy explained that there is a risk of backed up pigs going overweight and being subjected to an out-of-spec penalty.
“Getting pigs killed is an issue.
“There is a backlog of pigs on farm but the biggest issues are the cost of feed and the price of the pig we are getting.
“There is a penalty for going overweight but, also, we are getting penalised on feed conversions.
“We need some sort of support to get us through the next few months – things just do not make financial sense.”
Michael O’Shea – Roscrea,
Co Tipperary
Michael O’Shea has said that meal prices must ease and pig prices rise for farmers to see a positive margin in producing pigs.
“I am pig farming 15 years on my own. It is the worst period I have seen and probably the worst the generation ahead of me has seen as well.
“If there is no change to grain prices – and it looks like there will not be for a period of time – and pig prices do not improve, I do not know where will be.
“If something does not happen today, I have a fear that 25% of pig farmers are going to be in trouble within the next couple of months.”
Eugene Sheahan – Mitchelstown, Co Cork
Input costs have been spiralling out of control, with no reflection of these costs seen in pig prices yet, according to Eugene Sheahan,
“This crisis is terrible for pig farmers. The price of pigs is falling and everything else is going up – energy, feed, labour, insurance, everything. This is unsustainable for pig farmers at this point in time.
“We are in a crisis and a lot of this has got to do with farmers not being able to get pigs killed because factories cannot get workers and the price of feed has gone out of control - totally and completely.”
Shane McAuliffe – Castleisland, Co Kerry
Shane McAuliffe said factory capacity has gotten so bad that there is a back-up of pigs on his farm.
“We are at a stage now where the factory capacity has got so bad that we are backed up with pigs on farm. Our hands are tied. We have no way of getting them sold.
“Because we cannot sell these pigs, we cannot get immediate access to cash. Many people are struggling just to buy feed. They are stuck. They have no way of getting out of this spiral of debt that they are in.”
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