Cereal prices putting pig farmers under pressure

About 380 commercial pig herds supply the bulk of Ireland’s pigmeat, our third largest agrifood sector.

The industry supports more than 7,000 jobs in farming, milling, processing and ancillary services, especially in leading pig production counties like Cavan and Cork.

But the few hundred farmers who keep it going have been under pressure since the summer 2009 increase in cereal prices, because cereals account for 70% of pig feed.