Pig farmers to ramp up meat DNA sampling exercise

The industry has come under pressure over the last year, as prices have fallen at a time when input prices are hitting new highs

'If the consumer knows it’s Irish they are willing to give that premium for it because they know it will have been farmed well.'

Pig farmers frustrated over increased levels of “misleading” meat marketing during a time of crisis within the industry have taken matters into their own hands, commissioning expensive DNA testing on meat samples to trace their true origin.

The initiative started around 10 years ago but is ramping up, as the group say they are detecting increasing volumes of imported meat, some of which could be selling as Irish, over the last few weeks.