The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine will hold a special meeting next month on the crisis in the pig sector.
The meeting was requested by senator Tim Lombard, and was agreed to by the committee in a private meeting this afternoon (Tuesday, March 29) on foot of a protest by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) in Dublin earlier.
In his request, Lombard said: “The pig industry is in crisis with excessive losses and its very future viability is in doubt. I believe a short-term solution is urgently required.
The meeting will take place on April 13, with the joint Oireachtas committee intending to invite farmer representatives; officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; and representatives from pig processors and millers.
It is understood that the farmer representatives will consist of members of the IFA.
Pig farmers who protested outside the department in Dublin today have called for immediate government action to save their sector.
The IFA organised today’s demonstration at Agriculture House because of the ongoing financial crisis facing producers.
In the video below, IFA Pigs Committee chairperson Roy Gallie explains the situation pig farmers are facing, and what assistance they are seeking:
Currently, the average pig unit is losing €56,000/month and this could rise to €71,000/month in April.
Teagasc has outlined that between 20-30% of pig units are at risk of closure.
A combination of low pigmeat prices and high feed costs have led to the crisis. The war in Ukraine has also substantially exacerbated the cost of feed.
Speaking to Agriland at today’s protest, IFA president Tim Cullinan said that it is vital retailers increase the price they are paying for pigmeat.
“We want to see commitments from our government to maintain the sector that not alone has 300 farmers on the ground, but also employs 8,000 people,” Cullinan said.