The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) is to meet Bord Bia, the country’s food board, later this week to ensure the organisation’s focus on pigmeat promotion in Ireland stays strong.
While reporting “stable” prices for pigmeat on the domestic Irish market this week, IFA has signalled that it wants Bord Bia, retailers and secondary processors to do more to deliver a premium for Irish pig farmers.
“We will continue to meet retailers and secondary processors to request their commitment to source Irish pigmeat, which in turn must deliver a premium price for Irish farmers,” said IFA pigs committee chairman, Pat O’Flaherty.
On the planned Bord Bia meeting, he added that IFA’s aim was to ensure “effective promotional activity” continues to be carried out on pigmeat products, leading to a positive impact on consumption figures and farm gate prices.
Irish pig prices are currently running at just under 100% of the EU average price, reported IFA, with factory pig throughput in Republic of Ireland export plants for the week ending October 24, totalling 62,310 head. That was 2,230 more than in the corresponding week in 2014.