Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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391. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he and his Department continue to monitor production costs in the pigmeat sector; the continued efforts in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61603/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The continued development of the pigmeat sector is a priority for the Government, given the pivotal role the industry plays in the national economic context. The sector supports approximately 8,000 jobs spanning production, slaughter, processing, feed manufacture and services. I am acutely aware of the challenges pig farmers are facing at present.

I have provided significant support to the pig sector this year in recognition of the enormous pressures they have had to contend with.

A total of €13 million in EU exceptional aid funding was made available for the Pig Exceptional Payment Scheme 2 (PEPS2), a voluntary scheme for pig farmers, to support the viability of this important sector. 

The scheme opened for applications on 13th June 2022 and closed for applications on 11th July 2022. This scheme provided for a payment of up to €100,000 per farmer. The PEP2 scheme was in addition to the Pig Exceptional Payment Scheme which I announced in February, funded by the Exchequer and notified under the agriculture de minimis state aid provisions, to support commercial pig farmers. This scheme provided for a payment of up to €20,000 per farmer.

All payments have now been processed under both schemes.

My Department continues to monitor the market situation including production costs in the sector and continues to engage at EU level, including through the Pig Reflections Group, to ensure a joined-up EU approach to the challenges arising from Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.

In terms of ongoing stakeholder engagement, my colleague, Minister of State Martin Heydon, chairs quarterly meetings of the Pig Roundtable. 

Including representatives from the farming and processing sectors, Teagasc, Bord Bia, and Department officials, the Roundtable's overarching objective is to serve as a vehicle for constructive discussion in driving forward the development of the sector as well as taking a high level approach to guiding the actions for the sector set out in Food Vision 2030. 

Teagasc has intensified its dedicated, ongoing advisory supports being provided to pig farmers and is actively engaging with pig farmers to explore the options available to them and Bord Bia continues to promote quality assured Irish pigmeat in the domestic and export markets, with dedicated media advertising campaigns under way nationally, as well as EU-funded pigmeat promotion programmes running in key export markets.