Pig farmers must be supported

THE European Commission must support pig farmers while the market finds a new balance, COPA and COGECA, the European umbrella bodies for farmers and co-ops, have declared.

Pekka Pesonen, secretary general of both bodies, welcomed the Commission decision to reopen private storage for pigmeat.

However, he said, this alone may well be insufficient to enable the market to find a new balance. The eventual release of pigmeat stocks could again jeopardise recovery.

Meanwhile, Mr Pesonen stressed the need to envisage other compensatory measures to remedy the losses incurred by producers and their co-operatives.