May 24, 2006 

Beleaguered Irish pig industry seeks support

Ireland's pig producers has called for action to prevent a huge reduction in the national pig herd.

Irish Farmers'Association Pigs Committee chairman Pat O'Keeffe, said that unless legislative issues, and low profitability issues are addressed, the Irish industry would go the way of the British pork industry, whose sow numbers were nearly halved in the last decade.

EU price increases are still ahead of prices increases in Ireland, a clear indication Irish pig farmers are not getting a fair price from processors, O'Keeffe said.

The Irish pig industry would have dropped to unsustainable levels should the same thing that happened to Britain happen in Ireland, said O'Keefe.

O'Keeffe also pointed to FAO estimates that indicate global pork consumption would register a steady 1.7 percent annual growth for the next decade and European growth is expected to double from 0.3 percent to 0.6 percent a year, thus presenting opportunities for the pig industry.