'I am acutely aware of the challenges' - IFA pig protest paused after McConalogue meeting

The Minister for Agriculture has said he is "acutely aware" of challenges facing the Irish pig sector. 

The comment comes following a meeting with the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) yesterday evening (Tuesday March 29), which was prompted by 'Save Our Bacon' protests in Dublin by pig farmers demanding government support. 

Minister Charlie McConalogue said, "I am acutely aware of the challenges facing our pig sector and I am working to help support farm families and their businesses as much as possible. The industry is undoubtedly under pressure and I, as well as Minister [of State Martin] Heydon and the rest of the Government, have acted to support pig farmers throughout this challenging period. 

"Recently, I announced the Pig Exceptional Payment Scheme (PEPS), with a fund of up to €7 million. The maximum payment under this scheme is €20,000. Payments have started issuing to applicants. I have also met with the banking sector regarding the current situation.

The situation on pig farms requires urgent action. We met Ministers @McConalogue and @martinheydonfg last night. We will have further engagement in the coming days.https://t.co/s9GrG5b3Dl

— Irish Farmers' Association (@IFAmedia) March 30, 2022

“I have also met with the Irish Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) on the possibility of developing a suitable instrument to manage market volatility." 

Yesterday, IFA President Tim Cullinan claimed the sector's entire future "hangs in the balance". 

He said, "We are staring into the abyss here. Our pig sector is an important part of agriculture in this country, contributing nearly €1bn in exports. However, the sector cannot survive a projected loss of €160m in 2022."

The minister continued: "I thank the IFA for engagingly so constructively throughout this very difficult period for pig farmers. I have received the joint proposal for emergency funding that the IFA, the meat industry and the feed companies have submitted which and I have been examining it closely. I have committed to working with the sector to explore all avenues to offer support for this really important industry.

"Our pig farmers have always been remarkably resilient but I am fully aware of the challenges facing the sector at the moment."  

#WATCH Pig farmers say they're losing around €56,000 per month due to soaring costs, including feed, fuel and poor prices for pig meat@ARocheNews reports ⤵️#VMNews | @IFAmedia | @agriculture_ie pic.twitter.com/w2HR7bfdMg

— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) March 29, 2022

An IFA statement after yesterday's meeting confirmed the minister and the IFA will engage in the coming days to work on a solution. 

Despite the situation being called "extremely urgent", a protesting pause has been put in place outside the Department of Agriculture for now. 

According to the IFA, pig prices in Ireland remain unchanged in the larger Irish plants this week with farmers receiving quotes of €1.40c/kg up to €1.44 or €1.46 – €1.50/kg. 

Today's (Wednesday March 30) statement reads: "Even with markets showing signs of recovery, and pig price moving slowly in the right direction, the increase required to reach break-even is far too large and slow for farmers to bear."