‘Huge relief’ for local pig farmers as £1.6 million support announced

A £1.6m support package has come as a “huge relief” for struggling pig farmers across the North, a local MLA has said.

DAERA recently announced the funding, which is aimed at supporting pig farmers who have been financially impacted by increasing input costs and will be implemented in accordance with a Ministerial Direction issued by former Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots before he left office.

Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Tom Elliott, who is the Ulster Unionist spokesman on agriculture, environment and rural affairs, said, “With feed and energy costs seeing significant increases, pig producers have been struggling to absorb costs which put simply are just not viable.

“They haven’t been seeing a realistic price for the finished product, as the continued elevated cost of production have far outstripped their returns.”

He added, “The announcement from DAERA last week that another support package worth £1.6 million is being made available is certainly very welcome and I would hope that it is implemented in a timely manner, as full details on the scheme, such as eligibility criteria and payment mechanisms have yet to be announced.

“This much-needed support will be a huge relief to pig producers and the pork sector as a whole and is to be welcomed, as pig producers currently face a loss on every single finished pig they produce.

“They simply cannot continue without this intervention and I will be writing to DAERA again to ensure a speedy roll-out of the scheme.”