The sluggish trade for meat products in the UK retail market has led some farmer representatives to call for supermarkets to introduce promotions for shoppers.

In the pig sector, the traditional UK-Irish price gap has narrowed, with some reports indicating that the prices for Irish producers have now overtaken UK prices.

Last year, pig prices in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) were running more than 20p/kg behind prices in both NI and Britain.

At present, various price comparison reports indicate average prices of £1.54-1.58/kg (€1.71-1.76/kg) in the UK and ROI.

The African swine fever epidemic in China has helped improve the European market over the past few months, which has subsequently lifted prices for Irish producers.

Pig prices in NI and Britain have risen at a much slower rate, with some pointing to the UK retail market.

“The UK market seems to be lacklustre at the moment, and that’s the same for all meats, whether it be beef, lamb, pork or chicken,” said Ulster Farmers’ Union president Ivor Ferguson.

“We would like to see the major retailers promoting our meat products better. I haven’t seen any meat promotions from them in a long time. If there were promotions, it would help shift more product and that would be a big help for us,” the former pig farmer said.