Ireland's pig farmers protest

Last Monday, members of the Irish Farmers' Association's (IFA) Pig Committee and other farmers gathered outside major supermarket chains in Dublin to draw attention to the crisis in the pig sector and their current struggle for survival.

According to IFA committee chairman Roy Gallie, pig farmers are currently losing more than €35 on every pig produced, therefore making it "completely unsustainable." Gallie is concerned that "retailers will not have a supply of Irish pig meat in the not-too-distant future unless pig farmers secure some sort of immediate price increase."

In addition, Gallie states that pig farmers' margins have been completely eroded over the past 12 months. Due to a massive increase in production costs coupled with persistently low producer prices, "the average Irish pig farmer is currently losing about €10,000 a week at the moment."

IFA President Tim Cullinan urges all stakeholders, including retailers, the Bord Bia promotion organization and Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue, to take immediate steps "to stem the losses for pig farmers." He points out that the consequences of Brexit and the problems associated with the Corona pandemic are hitting the pig sector hard.

Pig farmers are suffering and cannot sustain the current losses for much longer. Without a coordinated response from all the relevant stakeholders, the entire sector is in jeopardy," the IFA president also noted. Meanwhile, Bord Bia launched a promotional campaign for Irish pork the previous week, running on television, social media, and other platforms. About half of the pork produced in Ireland is sold domestically. For Cullinan, the campaign could have a substantial impact. Gallie appealed to the restaurant industry to offer only Irish pork and announced reviews on this. Meanwhile, it was announced that there would be a round table at the Ministry this week to discuss the situation of pig farmers. The IFA expects a commitment to immediate action to handle the crisis.