Pig farms are struggling to cope with Blue Ear

It is feared that porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS, also known as Blue Ear) will be the last straw for some Irish pig farms, many of which are believed to have sows testing positive for PRRS.

In early April, positive tests for PRRS were confirmed at Hermitage Genetics in Kilkenny, which supplies boar semen to 70% of Irish pig farms.

It is believed that it is the less severe, easier-to-control European strain of PRRS. But coping with the disease will be a major test for the Irish pig industry, which is enduring severe market pressure due to relatively low prices (at only about one third of the carcase price for sheep and cattle).