The IFA president Tim Cullinan has welcomed the commitment he says Bord Bia has made to run a promotional campaign in Ireland for Irish-produced pork.

“We met Bord Bia this morning to discuss the crisis in the sector. Fifty per cent of our pigmeat is consumed on the home market, so it’s important that our product is promoted and that Irish consumers support Irish pig farmers at this challenging time,” he stated.

The IFA meeting with representatives from Bord Bia has come after rising feed costs and a drop in pig factory prices has placed immense financial pressure on pig farmers.

“It’s vital that consumers look for the Bord Bia QA mark to ensure that the pigmeat products they are buying are Irish,” the IFA president added.

The IFA pig committee has said that he intends meeting with Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and with meat processors in the coming days to put forward its proposals for the sector.

Irish products

The IFA pig committee chair Roy Gallie commented on the importance he hopes the food service industry will place on sourcing Irish pork for their operations.

It’s vital that our hotels, restaurants and canteens insist on Irish pigmeat from their suppliers

“As regards food service, it’s vital that our hotels, restaurants and canteens insist on Irish pigmeat from their suppliers,” Gallie said.

The north Kildare pig farmer reminded consumers that the IFA has a verification system in place to test processor and retailer claims that the beef they are supplying on shelves has been produced in Ireland.

“IFA has a DNA testing system in place and we can verify if any piece of meat comes from the Irish pig herd.

“We are actively taking samples all over the country and we will call out any food service outlet which is not using Irish pigmeat,” he added.