The Irish pig price increased by 8c/kg this week across primary processing plants with farmers receiving quotes ranging from €1.78c/kg to €1.82 or from €1.84 to €1.88/kg.
The 8c/kg increase is a welcome move in the right direction for farmers, but much more is required as a matter of utmost urgency, the IFA says in its 30 May, 2022 report.
The IFA Pigs Committee together with the Poultry Committee held a protest outside Aldi in Cavan to highlight soaring costs of production. The return to farmers, while improving, is not anywhere near the breakeven point. The committees have been meeting with retailers over the past week and will engage further with processors to stress the urgency of increases needed at the farm-gate level.
Farmers cannot continue to produce quality product for a pig price that is far behind the cost of production. The magnitude of losses incurred by Irish pig farmers has had a detrimental impact on some family farms, which have had no option but to close the businesses they have heavily invested in for many generations.
The European market prices have levelled with the weighted average price for grade S & E carcass at circa €1.90/kg.