Irish Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue has unveiled a €7 million support package for Ireland's pig producers in a bid to tackle rising production costs and low pig prices.
The fund will be distributed through a flat rate payment of a maximum of €20,000 per individual commercial pig farmer sending more than 200 pigs per annum to slaughter.
“Unprecedented challenges”
McConalogue said: “Our pig farmers have always been remarkably resilient, but I am acutely aware of the challenges they are facing at present. Irish pig farm families are currently facing unprecedented challenges due to a combination of low pigmeat prices and extraordinarily high input costs, due to international factors outside their control.”
He described the new support package as “an urgent, short-term response to assist producers that would be viable but for the extreme current circumstances.” He said that it would allow space for “a more medium-term adjustment to market signals.”
Ireland has now joined Scotland, Northern Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland and others by introducing measures to help its pig farmers struggling due to low pig meat prices and high input costs. NPA said that due to the ongoing challenges Irish pig farmers are currently losing between €35 and €40 a pig.
“A token gesture”
NPA reported that the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Ulster-north Leinster regional chair Frank Brady welcomed the funding, thanking the Minister for seeing that there is a major problem in the sector.
He added that further aid is needed, describing the €7 million emergency pig fund as “a token gesture”, which he said should act as a “stepping stone” to further support for the sector.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
