IFA: Failure to identify pig meat imports misleads consumers and damages industry

A FAILURE to properly identify pig meat imports is misleading consumers and damaging a national industry that is worth €400 million to the economy and directly employs 7,000 people, the Irish Farmers’ Association claimed yesterday.

IFA Pigs Committee chairman Michael Maguire, who made the claim in reference to the overall sector, was addressing a protest by more than 100 pig farmers outside Callan Bacon plant in Co Kilkenny.

He later said the company had given a commitment to significantly increase the quantities of Irish quality-assured pig meat that will be used in the future.