IFA meets with Agriculture Minister over pig crisis
The IFA held a meeting with Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue to discuss the ongoing pig crisis.
AN IFA delegation held a constructive meeting with Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing pig crisis.
The IFA is predicting that farmers will lose €35 for the average pig due to a combination of record-high feed costs, a drop in pig prices and a stretched processing capacity.
The IFA delegation that met with the Minister was led by president Tim Cullinan and chair of the Pigs Committee Roy Gallie.
After the meeting, Mr Cullinan said the Minister and his advisors acknowledged the scale of the problems facing pig farmers.
“A round-table meeting of stakeholders is due to take place next week, chaired by Minister Heydon. The Department needs to come forward to this meeting next week with tangible measures to ease the crisis,” Mr Cullinan said.
The IFA maintains that an injection of cash into the sector is badly needed, as family pig farms are on course to lose €500,000 this year.