But slightly tempering all of this came the news yesterday that pork prices have been increased by seven per cent in TESCO retail outlets throughout the UK. And according to Grampian Country Foods' managing director Hugh McReynolds where one retailer leads the others should follow.
"But this is only the start," he stressed.
"If TESCO were to increase their shop prices by 10% across all the product ranges we supply to them, this would translate into an increased producer price of only one penny per kilo. Each one of the multiples must play its part in recognising the increased costs of production now being incurred by every pig farmer."
"But above all else pig producers, feed compounders and processers must now stick together to ensure that retailers play their part in delivering realistic prices right along the entire pig production and processing chain. Back in 1996, the industry let the retailers off the hook."
Hugh McReynolds added: "Realistically, farmers need an extra twenty five to thirty pence per kilo for their pigs in order to fully compensate for the recent hike in feed costs. The confirmation that pork prices are starting to rise in the shops is welcome news. But we still have a long way to go."
Commenting on yesterday's developments Ulster Farmers' Union president Kenneth Sharkey told Farming Life that whatever transpires at retail level over the coming weeks, the challenge remains that securing an immediate and realistic pig price increase for farmers.
Pig and poultry producers met in Cookstown on Thursday evening to discuss how the industry can deal with the current feed cost crisis in the industry.
Kenneth Sharkey, who chaired the meeting, said farmers were facing an unprecedented cost increase which could only be resolved with significant farm gate price rises.
Speakers from the UFU, NI Grain Trade Association, Ulster Pork and Bacon Forum and the local poultry processing sector outlined the impact that global shortages of grain are having on the cost of producing pigs, poultry and eggs in Northern Ireland.
UFU Pork and Bacon Policy Chairman Raymond Pogue told Farming Life that producers need assurance that the industry will be profitable going forward.
"That's the challenge now facing the entire pig industry. We have a world class product and we are resilient, but we can not sustain these costs without significant farm gate price rises," he stressed.
The news of pork prices rises in the shops came directly in the wake of an announcement by Grampian, confirming a 12% increase in exports over the past twelve months. The Cookstown-based company, which is one of the largest employers in the mid-Ulster area, now exports 5% of its annual production of pork and pork products outside the UK and Europe.
"Recent trade difficulties caused by the ban on meat and dairy products from Northern Ireland imposed by the United States after the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in Surrey have been resolved," explained Hugh Mc Reynolds
"The first shipment arrived in Houston on the 27th August only 10 days after the ban was lifted and a further four shipments have followed. Various agencies, especially the Department of Agriculture and Department of Rural Development, have been helpful in bringing the situation to a swift conclusion allowing the reopening of the US market.
"The quality of Northern Ireland pork is such that there is huge demand for it around the globe. As well as supplying the US, we also export to Japan and Germany. Quality standards set by the American USDA test both the processor and the control agencies from the supplying countries. The last USDA audit to Northern Ireland in May this year had been carried out in a very thorough manner and both the company and DARD had been capable of demonstrating that effective control measures are in place in the manufacture and distribution of quality pork products".
Locally, the company has just launched its VIP branding, representing a substantial investment in marketing local pork. There is also a new range of oven ready products such as gammon joints with sauces such as sweet onion or honey which will be available in various stores across Northern Ireland from mid-September.
"The new VIP branding is about reinforcing the superior quality and taste of our pork products at the point of purchase. The aim is to encourage more and more people to buy local produce which alongside growth in exports will help support the local agriculture sector," concluded Hugh Mc Reynolds.