The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) says continuous lobbying efforts to gain support for its members who were impacted by the collapse in prices for cull sows due to the pandemic, have been recognised as the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affair (DAERA) Minister Edwin Poots, yesterday (1 April) announced a £2million COVID-19 support package for the sector.
UFU pork and bacon chair Glenn Cuddy said, “The UFU have been lobbying since summer 2020 to gain necessary support for our pig producers who endured a significant fall in revenue since the pandemic hit with depressed prices for cull sows. This is because the export markets that our local pig farmers depended upon in Europe and China, were substantially weakened in the last year.
“The announcement today that £2million has been allocated to the sector has been long awaited by our cull sow producers. The UFU pork and bacon committee are pleased that Minister Poots has taken their concerns on board, responding to the situation in a much-needed way. The COVID-19 support will help to compensate the losses incurred and address cash flow issues that pig farmers have been experiencing.”
The scheme will open in later this year and eligible pig farmers will be contacted.
“The UFU pork and bacon committee will continue to liaise with DAERA officials to ensure the support is rolled out as quickly as possible so our pig farmers can benefit,” said Mr Cuddy.
