Milk: President Graham Furey said; "Some of the prices being paid to dairy farmers simply aren't enough to keep producers in business. Prices of 21.5 pence per litre in April for some suppliers is not enough. We all know about feed, fertilizer and fuel costs and this means much higher prices are needed.
The Actual Milk Price Equivalent (AMPE) for the UK market in April is 24.9 pence per litre and that should at least be the figure paid to local farmers. UFU staff were in Holland last week and a visit to a Dutch dairy farm revealed that the farmer was receiving 40 Euro cents per litre, equivalent to 32 pence per litre.
Consumer prices for dairy products are high, the cheese market is still very strong and the euro / sterling exchange rate is very much in our favour.
Milk processors need to convert these positive factors into better prices for dairy farmers who have to offset their rising costs".
Beef: The UFU once again highlights the unacceptable fact that there is a differential between farmgate prices in Northern Ireland and prices in the rest of the UK.
This simply can not be justified.
Cattle produced for any of the main UK supermarkets should be paid the same price, whether they are produced in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland or Wales.
The UFU recently revealed that while average farmgate prices for Northern Ireland beef rose by 7 pence per kilogram during April, prices in most GB regions rose by about 14 - 17 pence per kilogram in the same period.
Deputy President John Thompson said: "The price differential issue has to be dealt with and this is something that the UFU will continue to highlight.
"The facts speak for themselves and it is something which processors and retailers have never been able to justify".
Pigs: The plight of the pig sector was raised this week by the UFU, as part of a Northern Ireland Assembly delegation which met EU Commissioner Marianne Fischer-Boel. GM feeds clearance procedures topped the agenda.
The UFU also had positive talks with Foyle meats about pig procurement. Deputy President Harry Sinclair said: "The pig sector has had a very tough time and soaring costs are making it impossible to be profitable in the industry unless farm gate prices rise.
2Price differentials with GB need to be removed and the Assembly needs to move forward on public procurement and country of origin labelling as quickly as possible to boost the pig sector.