Egg producers are protesting in Co. Monaghan today (Thursday, April 7) calling for a price increase given to suppliers to be passed back to farmers.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) demonstration is taking place outside Annalitten Eggs.
IFA National Poultry Committee vice chair Brendan Soden said the supply chain, in which the primary producer is key, is broken.
“Farmers acknowledge that most supermarkets have listened to their concerns and have passed back increases to their suppliers, which in turn should be passed onto farmers. However, this hasn’t happened.
“This situation is very difficult for farmers who have been highlighting since November their need for 2c per egg and 15c per chicken to recover costs,” he continued.
“The money which egg producers have been campaigning for, along with chicken producers and pig farmers, is not to boost farmers’ profits. It’s to recover their spiralling costs; to pay feed mills; to pay for pullets; and the massive increase in energy costs.
“In a time where food security is high on the agenda, these companies are acting in a manner which will force family farms out of business, leaving shelves empty. This is already happening in the UK,” he outlined.
Soden said that the IFA has worked closely with Teagasc on research which has shown that the egg producers’ margin is just 1c per dozen.
IFA National Poultry Committee chair Nigel Sweetnam explained that chicken growers are also finding themselves in a similar situation, failing to recover their increasing costs from the supply chain.
“Farmers want to continue supplying quality egg and chicken to Irish consumers, but this is looking highly unlikely unless their costs are recovered,” he said.