Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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595. 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 poultry sector with particular reference to the need to ensure a stable cost base; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35539/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As in other meat sectors, global trade conditions will be crucial in determining the outlook for the Irish poultry sector over the medium to longer term.

Poultrymeat, which is a food high in protein, has seen an increase in demand in recent years and the price has remained constant in 2023, averaging around €251.81 /100Kgs over the first five months of 2023, 10.5% higher than the average price achieved over the same period in 2022.

I am aware of the pressures being faced by many in the agri-food sector due to the increase in input costs, exacerbated by the impact of the illegal war in Ukraine. My Department continues to monitor the markets and any impacts on the agri-food sector. Poultry is normally reared under contract to processors, for a pre-agreed price, and, therefore, poultry producers are not typically subject to the same price fluctuations as other farmers. This is no way to diminish the cost challenges faced by the sector from growers to processors.

I am also very aware of the contribution of the poultry production sector to Irish agri-food as a whole, supporting significant levels of direct employment as well as their role in supporting rural economies and the wider national economy and I firmly believe that the poultry production sector in Ireland remains viable.