Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2018
788. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to provide assistance to the pig sector in view of difficulties due to low prices and high feed costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45606/18]
View answer789. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proposals he has put forward at EU level in relation to the need to provide assistance to the pig sector due to low prices and high feed costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45607/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 788 and 789 together.
Price volatility has been a significant issue for the pig sector in 2018, and developments over the last few years have highlighted the cyclical nature of prices in the sector. Current prices stand at €139.93/100kg, which is 9% below prices at the same time in 2017 (an exceptional year for pig prices).
The continuing uncertainty regarding Brexit lends an even greater urgency to the expansion of international market access. And as such, my Department and I have made a major push to encourage market diversification. In June of 2017 I visited Mexico, the fourth largest importer of chilled and frozen pork in the world and made access to that market a top priority. Following visits from Mexican authorities, six export plants will shortly be audited as part of the first stage of gaining access to the Mexican market for Irish pig meat exporters.
There has also been a significant expansion in Ireland’s pig meat exports to East Asia in general and to China in particular. China is now the largest third country market with exports of €102m last year. In May I lead a trade mission to China, visiting Beijing and Shanghai. This visit included events, in association with Bord Bia, to promote Irish pork to further develop export opportunities.
I also travelled to Japan and the Republic of Korea in autumn 2017 to promote further opportunities for Irish producers in these markets. Exports to Japan more than doubled to €22m in 2017, putting it in second place in international markets. We can also expect that the new free trade agreement with Japan (JEEPA) will provide further benefit to trade. Growth in the Philippines was also strong, up 54%, making it the third-largest international market for Irish pigmeat exports. Additionally, I recently lead the first ever Irish governmental trade mission to Malaysia, where I agreed a veterinary health certificate for pigmeat, an important milestone in the process of opening this market for Irish exporters.
Last year the total value of pig meat exports, taking account of all pigmeat including prepared and preserved, was more than €793 million; an increase from €733 million in 2016. In volume terms, exports rose by over 10 million tonnes, growing from 265.3 million tonnes in 2016 to 277.1 million tonnes in 2017. I will continue to work closely with the sector and, by focusing on insight-led growth strategies, capitalise upon opportunities for Irish pig meat exporters on international markets.
As regards support for primary producers, TAMS II measures (under the 2014-2020 RDP plan) provide grants for capital investment in physical assets to assist the agriculture sector, including the pig sector, to develop their businesses. There are a huge variety of items available under the suite of TAMS measures and the Pig Sector is catered for under the current Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme (PPIS) of TAMS II. Additionally, in 2016 I established a Pig Implementation Strategy Group which oversees implementation of the measures recommended in the report of the Pig Industry Stakeholder Group. This group has an important role to play in achieving the objectives for the industry as laid out in Food Wise 2025.
