Pork prices rise for Irish shoppers after swine fever outbreak

China kills 200million pigs as illness sweeps herd

IF you’re planning a tasty roast pork lunch this weekend be prepared as the cost may leave a sour taste.

Pork prices have gone up a massive 7.5% in the past year, according to official figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) yesterday.

And, surprisingly, it’s down to an outbreak of African swine fever in China.

The shocking spread of the disease has led to the slaughter of millions of pigs in China causing a surge in demand for imports of pork from around the world.

That surge has pushed up prices internationally. A fresh pork loin joint on supermarket shelves in Ireland now costs €8-a-kilo – a 60c increase from around €7.40-a-kilo a year ago.

Specialist pig farmer Dermot Allen, of the Irish Pig Society, said the reason for the price surge is that China is importing pork from around the world after the outbreak of swine fever sparked a cull of 200 million sows – some 40% of that country’s entire sow population.

‘The price is up because everything’s being exported to China because all their sows are dying,’ Mr Allen said.

‘They have sows around the back of their houses and it just went through the whole lot of them, they’re just dumping them at the side of the road. It’s shocking.’

The Irish Pig Society cancelled its shows over the past year amid fears the disease could arrive in Ireland.

‘We have an All-Ireland Championship every year for the last five years but we cancelled it last year because it’s just too risky. It was a real disappointment,’ Mr Allen added.

Pig meat producers are enjoying better prices at the moment but they had been low up until 2018, before the swine fever outbreak in China.

The loss of the sows means China, the world’s largest consumer of pork, is also suffering from a shortage of piglets totalling into the millions.

A vaccine was due to be introduced this month but it has not yet been approved for use.

Mr Allen says the price of pork will remain high for another year until China restocks its herd.

‘It’s affecting prices on the supermarket shelves. It’s not good for them on the other side of the world but it’s good for the Irish producer,’ he added.

The price jump was revealed in official figures from the CSO yesterday. The figures show a 7.5% rise in pork prices in the year to January.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels rose, in addition to an increase in the cost of home heating oil and electricity, the CSO reported.

The cost of transport also increased, primarily due to

‘They’re dumping sows on the road’

‘Affecting prices in supermarkets’

higher prices for petrol and diesel and an increase in the cost of cars.

‘Restaurants and hotel costs rose mainly due to higher prices for alcoholic drinks and food consumed in licensed premises, restaurants, cafes, and an increase in the cost of hotel accommodation,’ the CSO’s Consumer Price Index report shows.