Pig farmers are to get an emergency payment worth €20,000 each under plans going to Cabinet this morning.
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue will tell his colleagues the sector has suffered serious financial loss over the last few months due to rising feed costs and falling prices for pigs.
A total of seven million Euro will be divided among Ireland’s some 300 pig farmers.
It’ll be paid to all finisher pig farmers who are members of the Bord Bia quality assurance scheme.
President of the Irish Farmers Association, Toomevara pig farmer Tim Cullinan, says the payment’s badly needed.
“The pig sector is going through an extremely difficult period at the moment obviously.
“The extraordinary increases in the cost of feed is bringing pig farmers to the brink and look, any measure that would help to alleviate the farms would be welcome.”
