Key Policy Areas and Areas of Activity for IFA National Pigs Committee

1. Pig Prices and weekly market Analysis via: e-mail, fax, text messaging & press releases. Meetings with   processors to maintain pressure to return a fair price with both suppliers and committee members always invited. Promoting and organising the export of weaners to continent and slaughter pigs to NI.

2. Feed cost: study commissioned by IFA to look at the cost elements in pig feed and identify ways of     reducing costs e.g prompt payment, bulking of loads, etc.

3. Pig Industry Review: IFA pressure succeeded in the getting the industry study completed and since its publication it has organised a number of meetings to progress this issue with a development group established to identify the core issues and the best option for all producers going forward.

4. Pig Health issues: · Salmonella testing re-commenced in Sept/Oct 2001, · Pig Identification -herd id · Aujeszky's Disease eradication pursued since 1991 and implementation date before July 2002 · Blue-ear: -no willingness on Dept. side to implement an eradication programme so IFA is pursuing the vaccination route for affected herds. · Reduction of restrictions for moving pigs during and post-FMD. Also progress on reducing requirements for exporting pigs live to NI.eg. Fee reduced from £1.00 per pig to 50p/pig or a max. Of £75 per load.

5. Progress on pig welfare issues: e.g. slatted floors retained, stall housing for sows under modified conditions, weaning age flexible above 24 days.

6. Promotions /Import substitution: Getting the FSAI to set-up an auditing branch to survey processors and wholesalers on adherence to labelling requirements, meeting with the major retailers, pressurising Bord Bia to carryout an import study to identify main users of pigmeat and the main reasons for imports and re-focusing promotions to alternate pigmeat products. Also promoting the Feile Bia concept among members.

7. Environmental Issues: negotiations with EPA have reached a conclusion with significant progress. Discussions with DOE on IPPC licence thresholds to remove smaller pig units with less than 400 sows from the EPA thresholds.

8. Fallen pig collection service: Proposals to treat dead pigs similar to SRM material would have increased collection charges from £50-£60 per tonne to £360/tonne and would have cost the pig industry £3.6 Million annually. The IFA deal fixing the collection charge @ £100/tonne saved the pig sector £2.6 million annually.

9. Border Aid Package: Under this scheme 133 producers shared a £1.2 Million pound fund to assist during the crisis of 1998/99.

10. AIB Bank deal: This deal allowed all producers to re-structure loans in a co-ordinated manner to include miller debts. It also allowed significant allowances in terms of a capital moratoria for producers in difficult times, i.e. less than 95p/kg, longer loan periods up to 15 years, a case by case analysis on referral charges and surcharges.

11. Medication in Feedstuffs: IFA are negotiating to retain the inclusion of medication in feedingstuffs according to veterinary prescription despite an IGFA policy decision to remove it from all pig diets by 01 Jan 20