Galtee gates close for pig farmers
As a result, a total of 140 workers have lost their jobs in Mitchelstown.
There were a further 70 redundancies with the closure last month of another Dairygold pig processing plant in Roscrea, Co Tipperary.
Pig producers, who strongly opposed the closure, have meanwhile arranged to have their pigs slaughtered by other processors.
Dairygold said it will maintain its pig supplier help-line for the next few months, including the Christmas period.
This help line will be manned by staff familiar with all Dairygold pig suppliers and who will be in constant contact with the other Irish processors, while offering pig farmers any advice and assistance they might require.
Some pig producers who have transferred their supplies are reported to have also switched their pig feed business from Dairygold in protest at the co-op’s controversial decision to end primary pig meat processing.
Meanwhile, the co-op said it agreed a closure deal with the IFA Pigs Committee and producer representatives at a meeting two weeks ago.
The deal agreed, if not set aside or undermined by obstruction activity or a feed boycott, commits Dairygold to the following:
Dairygold will ensure that there is a place available for all pigs from the Galtee supply base in an alternative slaughter facility on Monday next.
This commitment is dependent upon full producer co-operation.
In line with its commitment to continue purchasing a substantial volume of Irish pig meat, Dairygold will arrange for accountancy firm KPMG to audit the quantity of pigmeat from pigs slaughtered in Galtee and used in Galtee retail products for the year ending August 31, 2004.
KPMG will audit the annual volume of Irish sourced pig meat for use in Galtee retail products in the period September 1 to August 31 each year (to end August 2007), and report to Dairygold and IFA if the co-op is sourcing an equivalent amount of Irish sourced pigmeat to that used in the year ending August 31, 2004.
Dairygold will negotiate prices with other Irish processors for its pork requirements in October 2004 based on existing market prices, and maintain these prices for November and December, 2004, and January and February, 2005.
Dairygold will introduce a goodwill rebate on feed supplies bought from them.
Pig Suppliers who buy a significant amount of their pig feed requirement from Dairygold will be given a credit of €2 per pig for the first 1,600 pigs that they supplied in the last 12 months, and €1 per pig for numbers supplied in excess of 1,600. This credit will be applied as a once off rebate in December, 2005 on pig feed purchased from the Society in the period, November 1, 2004 to October 31, 2005. This credit will apply up to a maximum value of 4% of pig feed purchased.
