The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) says its pig producing members are “disillusioned” with the current low prices on the domestic market and that supermarkets need to stop discounting home produced pork.
Reflecting on a current “price gap” between Irish and UK prices which the IFA says is the equivalent of 30p/kg, the association’s pigs committee chairman, Pat O’Flaherty, said that Irish supermarkets should be sourcing local pigmeat and supporting Irish farmers.
“The pricing mechanism of discounting home produced pork must be stopped,” he said, adding that the IFA was also calling for greater action from Europe to alleviate the current situation and protect farm incomes.
As for the price difference with the UK, he warned association members that the gap was already at 41c/kg (30p/kg) and was continuing to widen.
On current output, IFA said factory pig throughput in Republic of Ireland (ROI) export plants for the week ending August 15, 2015, was 61,996 head, 2,991 more than in the corresponding week in 2014. So far this year, slaughtering’s in ROI export plants is 7.2% ahead of the same period in 2014.
