Pig farmers have spent a year producing pork below the cost of production.
ADVERTISEMENT
The number of in-pig sows and gilts were both down by around 11% in June when compared with the previous year, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
There were just under 1.5m non-breeding pigs and 137,200 breeding pigs recorded in the CSO’s June 2022 pig survey, with these overall numbers down about 3.5% on 12 months’ prior.
Although the number of older pigs has not changed significantly, there are 50,000 less young pigs under 20kg, equating again to an 11% drop.
ADVERTISEMENT
The size of the sow herd was expected to drop amid reports earlier this year that some farmers were forced to sell up as margins moved further into the red on piggeries.
Other farmers were reported to have stopped serving sows to cope with the skyrocketing feed costs.
Prices began to turn in recent months, with the CSO reporting that pig prices rose 18% in the year up to July, however the average pig farmer is still set to lose €330,000 this year.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
The number of in-pig sows and gilts were both down by around 11% in June when compared with the previous year, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
There were just under 1.5m non-breeding pigs and 137,200 breeding pigs recorded in the CSO’s June 2022 pig survey, with these overall numbers down about 3.5% on 12 months’ prior.
Although the number of older pigs has not changed significantly, there are 50,000 less young pigs under 20kg, equating again to an 11% drop.
The size of the sow herd was expected to drop amid reports earlier this year that some farmers were forced to sell up as margins moved further into the red on piggeries.
Other farmers were reported to have stopped serving sows to cope with the skyrocketing feed costs.
Prices began to turn in recent months, with the CSO reporting that pig prices rose 18% in the year up to July, however the average pig farmer is still set to lose €330,000 this year.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS