Number of pigs slaughtered down over 10%
To 2023 Pig 9 Almost Contracted 2022 By 262,000 July Pared With July 8% Heads Slaughterings In
The number of pigs slaughtered between January and July of this year is down 10.4% to over 1.9m heads when compared with the same seven months last year, new CSO figures show.
Pig slaughterings contracted by 9.8% to almost 262,000 heads in July 2023 compared with July 2022.
Between January and July 2023, cattle slaughterings decreased by 2.6% to nearly 1.1m when compared with the same period in 2022.
In the first seven months of the year, sheep slaughterings were up by 2% to almost 1.8m on the same period in 2022.
An analysis of the data for July 2023 compared with July 2022 shows that cattle slaughterings declined by 2.2% to almost 145,000 heads, while the number of sheep slaughtered fell by 11.9% to more than 248,000 in July 2023 when compared with July 2022.
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has recently said that urgent action is needed to address acute staff shortages in the pig sector.
A survey of pig producers carried out by the IFA shows that nearly half would be forced to consider exiting the sector if suitable employees are not available in the short term.
43% of farmers indicated in the survey that they will find it hard to keep going without a pool of skilled workers.
The survey is representative of 75% of the national sow herd, the IFA said.
Commenting on the results, IFA national pig chairman Roy Gallie said this would be a "potential loss of €623m to the national economy and a potential reduction of €396m in annual exports".
"The Irish pig sector is facing a critical challenge as it grapples with acute shortages of skilled workers, which is negatively impacting on productivity, growth, and the overall health of the industry," Mr Gallie said.
The IFA has made a submission to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on the issue, and is urgently seeking an allocation of work permits for the sectors including pig, horticulture, dairy, and poultry.
Mr Gallie said that the pig sector's success is vital not only for the farmers and workers directly involved, but also for the wider economy and the food processing sector.
"To ensure the sustainable growth of the Irish pig sector, collaborative efforts from stakeholders, policymakers and Government are essential to ensure pig farmers can continue to source quality suitable employees for their farming operations," he added.
