Irish pig package sparks plea for support in England

Ireland’s government has announced a €7m (£5.85m) pig sector support package sparking renewed pleas for a similar scheme in England.

Irish agriculture minister Charlie McConalogue said he had recognised pig farmers were suffering extreme hardship caused by unprecedented input costs and low prices.

With mounting losses put at €40 (£33.50) a pig, the package will pay up to €20,000 to commercial units, Mr McConalogue announced.

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“Our pig farmers have always been remarkably resilient. But I am acutely aware of the challenges they are facing at present,” he said.

Mr McConalogue added that the payments should relieve the extreme current circumstances and allow space for a more medium-term adjustment to market signals.

Important step

However, because of the depth of the crisis, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) welcomed the payments only as an important first step.

IFA president Tim Cullinan said: “Unfortunately, there is no sign of a light at the end of the tunnel on this crisis.

“While the announcement will certainly help, it will not be sufficient unless there is an unexpected turn in the market.”

Ireland’s move means it has joined Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Poland and Belgium in providing support, and the National Pig Association (NPA) has ramped up calls for support in England. 

Support plea

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said that governments across the UK and EU had found ways to support producers, struggling due to factors beyond their control.

“We see no reason why Defra could not provide some support to farmers in England.

“Producers have been severely hit by labour shortages in pork plants and providing increasingly expensive feed to more pigs for longer while being paid less,” Dr Davies said.

But Defra minister George Eustice appeared to shrug off industry calls for support, made during the NFU conference.

Market forces

Mr Eustice said low prices were due to a 7% oversupply in pigmeat. He also suggested Covid-19 issues had hit staffing at processing plants and prompted an export block by China.

The minister pointed to efforts that the government had made to alleviate a shortage in skilled labour by attempting to recruit 800 butchers from the EU. He admitted the scheme had not been successful, but blamed this on a global shortage in labour.

However, Dr Davies responded to the minister’s comments, saying: “If culling healthy pigs and putting them in the bin isn’t a clear sign of market failure, then I don’t know what is.

“Many pig farmers are standing on the brink – and a show of financial support from our government could save livelihoods and provide a glimmer of hope for our industry.”