This is a subscriber-only article
IFA Pig Committee chair Tom Hogan has called on pig factories to reverse a price cut of 4c/kg made a number of weeks ago and to make further increases.
It comes as Irish farmers carried out a week of protests over SuperValu’s selling of imported pork.
Hogan said: “It is heartbreaking to walk into a local retailer and see imported pigmeat on the shelf, displacing our own locally-produced pork and bacon. This practice displaces Irish pigmeat and jeopardises the entire industry which supports over 10,000 jobs in the country.”
He called on processors and retailers to support Irish pig farmers. He said that the German market, which closely reflects the returns of Irish processors, has recovered from a price of €1.40/kg three weeks ago to €1.56/kg at current.
Costs
“The unfortunate reality is that even at these prices, all costs would not be covered but it is the first step on the road to stabilising a volatile market,” Hogan added.
He reiterated that farmers were losing up to 20c/kg at current prices – equating to over €16 on every pig produced. Hogan called on producers to raise prices in line with European markets.
“Costs are rising and the feed market is showing no signs of abating. Without a serious increase in the pig price now, the viability of many family pig farms will be called into question by their bank managers, and the outcome will not be a good one.”
SHARING OPTIONS: