Additional financial support for Northern Ireland pig sector is welcomed

Last week, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs announced a support scheme worth up to £1.6million.

It is targeted at pig producers who have been financially impacted by the effects of increasing input costs and further details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Mr Elliott said: “With feed and energy costs seeing significant increases, pig producers have been struggling to absorb costs which, put simply, are just not viable.

“They haven’t been seeing a realistic price for the finished product, as the continued elevated cost of production have far outstripped their returns.

“The announcement from DAERA last week that another support package worth £1.6 million is being made available is certainly very welcome, and I would hope that it is implemented in a timely manner, as full details on the scheme, such as eligibility criteria and payment mechanisms have yet to be announced.

“This much needed support will be a huge relief to pig producers and the pork sector as a whole and is to be welcomed, as pig producers currently face a loss on every single finished pig they produce.

“They simply cannot continue without this intervention and I will be writing to DAERA again to ensure a speedy roll out of the scheme,” Mr Elliott added.