A Tipperary Government TD says the pig sector is “caught up in a perfect storm” as feed and fuel prices increase.
Jackie Cahill says the sector needs an emergency support package, as the costs continues to rise.
Deputy Cahill says the government must give serious and urgent consideration to an IFA proposal for a 100 million euro aid package to the sector with pig farmers offering to repay 50% of the funding over 14 years.
Speaking earlier today on TMWR the Thurles based TD says market prices have collapsed from €1.90 per kg to € 1.38 causing farmers to lose approximately €50 per pig.
Deputy Cahill says farmers are investigating the option to avail of a government tillage support scheme offering €300 or €400 euro per hectare, depending on the crop, to produce feed stuffs for later this year. Despite any increase in domestic supply of feedstuff, shortages and higher prices are expected for animal feeds over the next 12 – 18 months with no harvesting and greatly reduced planting in Ukraine due to the war.
Deputy Cahill doesn’t believes its workable for Ireland to become self sufficient in providing feed locally.
Pig farmers are holding a protest outside the Department of Agriculture today to highlight the crisis in the sector.
Around 300 farmers have been losing on average €56,000 per month each since last September, due to increasing feed and energy costs and poor prices for pig meat.
Those losses are expected to escalate to €71,000 from next week when feed prices rise again.
The crisis is prompting some farmers to leave the sector.
Minster for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue recently gave the industry €7m, or about €20,000 per farmer to help to ease production costs.
