The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has expressed its “disappointment” at the lack of movement in EU and Irish pig prices, despite the European Commission’s move on pigmeat storage.
Chairman of the IFA pigs committee Pat O’Flaherty said that an upward move in EU and Irish pig prices was “badly needed”.
“UK prices are on an upward trajectory,” he said, adding that with the UK spot base rising 10p and the average price rising to £1.33/kg, the Irish average is now at only 74% of the UK average. He also drew attention to the fact that the EU/Ireland price standstill was despite the introduction of private pigmeat storage in the EU.
“We are also now trailing the EU average by 3%,” he said. “Prices here have to rise for producer confidence.”
Factory pig throughput in Republic of Ireland export plants for the week ending February 28, 2015 was 59,515 head which was 334 head more than in the previous week and 6,005 more than in the corresponding week in 2014.   Slaughtering’s in ROI export plants is 7.1% ahead of the same period in 2014.