Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Senator Pippa Hackett):

I accept the points made by Deputy Cahill. He is correct that this is one of the worst crises we have seen in the pig sector here. It appears that there is a cyclical nature to the commodity markets, but it is compounded by the increased input costs and fragility of the marketplace for pigmeat. It is important to get on top of African swine flu, which is affecting markets across Europe and also export markets out of Europe. That is having a major additional impact on Irish pork and pigmeat products.

The Department is examining all possible avenues to assist pig farmers during this time of market disturbance. As I outlined, it will continue the significant engagement to date. The Department encourages farmers to engage with Teagasc advisers and bank representatives to explore the options available to them. Whether it is financial assistance or cost-reduction measures they can implement on their farms, they must take the advice that is available. Pig farmers can rest assured that officials in the Department are examining all possible measures to assist.

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