Vol. 524 No. 6
189 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development whether he has satisfied himself that there is sufficient scope for the expansion of the pig meat industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23656/00]
The agri-food 2010 report drew attention to a number of issues facing the pigmeat industry. These included increased competition from imported product, need to optimise structure and scale at processing level and the ability to cope with the cyclical nature of the pigmeat market. These are all questions that the industry itself needs to address in order to ensure its future development.
I, with my colleague the Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, commissioned a study of the pigmeat processing industry on the island of Ireland. The consultants were appointed in April this year. The report of the study is currently being finalised and it is expected that it will be available in November. The report will consider in particular the issue of processing capacity in the context of the future outlook for the pig industry. I look forward with interest to seeing the findings and recommendations of the study and I hope that it will provide useful pointers for the future development of the industry.
As regards the cyclical nature of the industry, the EU Commission and the member states have been considering what measures might be taken to alleviate the effect of the cycle on the incomes of producers. These discussions are continuing and it remains to be seen whether any consensus emerges from these deliberations.
