Ireland - Irish retailers taking a bigger cut
19 Aug 2012
Irish Farmers Association pigs chairman Tim Cullinan has welcomed a 4 cents a kilo (approx 3p) increase passed back to pig producers this week, but stressed that it is not enough.
"It is simply not sufficient to bring producers back near profitability at current feed prices.
I cannot stress strongly enough how difficult the situation is on pig farms at the moment.
We are estimating average losses on pig farms of up to 20 euros per pig (approx £15).
"I have in my possession dockets that show how Irish Red-Tractor-equivalent pigs delivered into United Kingdom factories are achieving prices of over 1.80 euros a kilo (approx 140p).
The price being paid is £1.54/kg sterling and even after all the deductions and transport are taken out, these farmers are still clearing 12-14 cents a kilo (approx 10p) more than if they sold into the Irish factories.
"With retailers taking higher margins in the Irish market than in the United Kingdom, it is clear that they have scope to reduce their margins and return a more sustainable price to support Irish pig producers."
Source: Pig World
Back to News Headlines