A new chair of IFA’s pigs committee will be announced on Thursday at a video meeting of the committee, with Tom Hogan having served his term. Ballot papers went out two weeks ago.

The favourite for the post is Kildare farmer Roy Gallie. He is current vice-chair and expressed interest in the top job from an early date.

Gallie will face immediate challenges. Prices across the EU are under pressure following cases of African swine fever in wild boars in Germany. The backlog of finished pigs in Germany is so large that pigs from German farms are being slaughtered in other member states. Denmark’s weaner producers who supply into Germany are in difficulty.

Meanwhile, a new vice-chair of the committee will be elected in January when seven or eight members of the committee will step down and be replaced.