Soya prices will remain high for the next four to five months, however there is some positivity on the horizon for pig farmers, James Nolan from R&H Hall has said. Speaking at the IFA pig meeting in Portlaoise last Wednesday, Nolan said that soya prices have “shot up” to over €600/t in the last year due to a drought in South America.

“Production in Argentina has halved from their intentions this time last year. Argentina is very important to Europe for soya meal because, for the Irish market alone, 90% to 95% of the soya meal used in Ireland comes from Argentina.”

Argentina, which normally exports the bones of 15m to 18m tonnes of meal, has seen its exports halve, Nolan explained.

New crop soya, he added, is not out on the ground in South America.