January 12, 2015

Ireland's pig prices must rise, association urges

Irish Farmers Association (IFA) President Eddie Downey has said the Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan and the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney need to push for the introduction of market measures in the EU to remove excess supply from the EU that is depressing pig prices.

Downey said, "Pig farmers have gathered here (outside the headquarters of the Irish Association of Pig Meat Processors (IAPP)) to protest against the 42 Euro-cents per kg drop in pig prices suffered by farmers in the last six months. This price drop of €34 has left every producer in the country in a loss-making situation, with many farms facing ruin unless prices rise."

IFA National Pigs and Pig meat Committee Chairman, Pat O'Flaherty, said: "The majority of our EU neighbours held pig prices stable over the Christmas period and spot prices in our largest market, the UK, actually increased in the first week of the New Year. Despite this, some Irish factories dropped prices by eight cents per kilo over the Christmas period, leaving farmers in a completely uneconomic position."

Irish pig prices are just keeping in line with the EU average but today's price is 20 cents per kilo below the cost of production, a position that is completely unsustainable, according to O'Flaherty.

"The latest pig price drops were completely unwarranted, as it is clear to see that our export market and our home market continue to perform really solidly. The factories cannot continue to simply blame Russia, there is opportunism evident here and this is absolutely unacceptable, pig prices must rise immediately," O'Flaherty concluded.