Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue met with more than 100 pig farmers this evening (Thursday, February 3) to address the ongoing issues that are crippling the sector.
Described as a ‘national crisis meeting’, all pig farmers in the country were invited, along with representatives from the feed and processing side of the industry.
They came looking for a dedicated rescue package and a commitment from the government of immediate support during what has been described by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) as an “unprecedented income crisis“.
They received that commitment of support from the minister, but confirmation of a dedicated rescue package was less forthcoming.
Minister McConalogue heard from farmers, as well as representatives from the IFA Pigs Committee, of the serious income crisis facing pig producers – a result of soaring feed costs, rising energy prices, and a difficult world market.
The minister heard that the most recent drop in pig price, and the increase in feed costs, mean every pig produced on Irish farms is losing over €35.
Currently, a pig farmer with 500 sows is losing €10,000 per week, the meeting heard.
A spokesperson for Minister McConalogue said he would continue to work to support pig farmers, to explore what can be done, what is available, and what can work.
And it is understood that Minister McConalogue will raise this issue at a European Council of Agriculture Ministers meeting this weekend.
Commenting in the wake of today’s meeting, the IFA said Minister McConalogue had committed to providing government support “in the form of direct aid for pig farmers” and added that he must move urgently to give details on how this will happen.
President of the IFA, Tim Cullinan said that farmers have been hit by the most severe income crisis in nearly 20 years and there is no time to waste.
“Pig farmers will go to the wall if they’re not supported. We have put a number of proposals to the minister and his government colleagues, including the Tánaiste at a meeting yesterday.
“If there isn’t immediate action, the pig sector will not survive,” he said.
The IFA president also said retail regulation is long overdue, and a ban on below-cost selling has to be revisited.
“A food regulator is needed to take on the retailers and re-balance the food chain. Producers have to get a margin to keep them viable,” he said.
IFA Pigs Committee chair, Roy Gallie said each stakeholder must work to safeguard the sector from losing more pig producers, who only receive what is left over after processor and retailer margins are taken.
He said pig farmers cannot carry the cost of this crisis alone.
In the Dáil this week, Minister McConalogue outlined recent actions taken by him in response to the challenges that pig farmers are experiencing, including recently meeting with the main banks; as well as the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland to discuss the Brexit Impact Loan Scheme and the Covid-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme.
He added that Minister of State, Deputy Martin Heydon, chaired the pig roundtable last week, and had a further detailed discussion with all the stakeholders, including farm representatives, banks and the processing and feed industries on the current difficulties facing pig farmers.
State supports for the sector, he said, existed in the form of promotion of quality-assured Irish pigmeat by Bord Bia, as well as advisory services from Teagasc.