Irish pig farmers have gathered outside the Department of Agriculture in protest, calling for the Government to implement a €100 million “rescue package” for the sector.
The demonstration in Dublin, organised by the Irish Farmers’ Association, comes amid the increased cost of feed and fuel, along with what farmers say are poor prices for pig meat.
The IFA said that without a rescue package from the Government, the sector cannot survive its “deepest crisis in living memory.”
A large crowd has gathered here outside the @agriculture_ie for today's pigs protest #SavePigFarming pic.twitter.com/oPMiTVcNiN
— Irish Farmers' Association (@IFAmedia) March 29, 2022
“We are staring into the abyss here. Our pig sector is an important part of agriculture in this country, contributing nearly €1bn in exports. However, the sector cannot survive a projected loss of €160m in 2022,” said IFA National Pigs Committee chairman Roy Gallie.
“We are caught in a devastating price/cost squeeze. Some farmers have already culled breeding sows and more are suspending production. They cannot produce with losses of over €50 per pig, and rising.
“If the Government wants a pig sector, it must act now. We are at the point where farmers are exiting. If more go, then the upstream and downstream businesses become unviable and then the sector will be gone. It is that serious.”
The IFA has proposed that pig farmers would pay back half of the €100 million support package through a levy on pigs once margins improve.
The pig sector is the third largest livestock sector in Ireland, after dairy and beef.
