Following a meeting with senior representatives from Sofina Foods, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has said NI pig producers affected by uncertainty around their contracts with the Cookstown-based company need to be provided with “urgent clarity”.

Commenting after the meeting, UFU deputy president Clement Lynch said it was very concerning that some producers remain unclear about their position.

“It is not good enough for any family farm business to be left wondering whether it will have a home for its pigs in a few months’ time. Communication must be clear, timely and direct enough to give farmers the ability to plan,” he said.

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It is understood that two NI producer groups with a combined total of around 40 suppliers, as well as one independent, are potentially impacted, with Sofina not renewing contracts due to expire at the end of this year.

The aim for Sofina is to cut its weekly pig kill by around 3,000 head.

However, not all producers had been formally notified at the time of the meeting last Thursday.

“We recognise that processors are facing market pressures. But those pressures cannot be used as a reason to leave farmers in the dark,” said Lynch.

Muir meeting

The union has also sought an urgent meeting with Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir, pointing out that farmers are now making decisions around breeding, feed, labour and investment.

“If producers are left without a secure outlet for pigs, this could quickly become a wider welfare and supply-chain issue. That is why DAERA needs to be fully engaged,” Lynch added.

Options

Some impacted farmers have questioned why other alternatives have not been explored by the company, including the option of cutting all suppliers by 5 to 10%, or giving more priority to local pigs over Republic of Ireland (ROI) imports.

The Sofina factory in Cookstown has historically relied on ROI suppliers for a significant proportion of its weekly kill. So far in 2026, an average of 8,000 ROI pigs per week have been slaughtered in NI, which equates to over 20% of the total kill.