A new support scheme worth £2 million has been announced for Northern Irish pig farmers impacted by increased feed costs and weakened markets.
Announcing the scheme on Friday (11 March), the Department for Agriculture (DAERA) said the scheme was targeted at 'financially impacted' producers.
It comes against the backdrop of increasing feed costs, weakened markets and ongoing issues with getting pigs moved off the farm for slaughter.
Agriculture minister Edwin Poots said he was 'very aware' of the challenges pig producers had faced in recent months.
"I am convinced that the sector needs emergency financial support at this time," the DAERA minister added.
“Many of the issues are due to factors outside the farmers control such as international supply and demand, labour availability in the processing sector, and repercussions of the pandemic.
"This package will assist producers in the short term but industry must work together and adjust to market signals for the longer term.”
Responding to the announcement, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) said that the NI pig sector was facing a crisis "like never before".
After months of enduring low pig prices and rising input costs, the impact locally of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine had now "pushed pig producers to breaking point".
UFU president Victor Chestnutt said: “Our pig producers are on their knees. They’ve never experienced such financial difficulty like they are right now – its gut wrenching.
"They’ve been enduring serious losses for months due to market volatility and increasing production costs, and now, Russia’s ongoing attack on Ukraine has resulted in the price of raw materials going through the roof."
The scheme will make payments to those pig producers who incurred price penalties on pigs that were outside contract specifications from September 2021 to February 2022.
Eligible pig producers will be invited to apply through DAERA's website when the scheme opens in April.
