Poultry Council Report November 2025

Market Report 

The Poultry Committee continues to prioritise safeguarding farmers’ margins. The Irish poultry sector remains under considerable cost pressure at farm-level and within processing plants and egg-packing facilities, input costs remain elevated, and labour costs continue to escalate. The Government has confirmed that the national minimum wage will rise to €14.15 per hour from 1 January 2026, representing a further increase of around 4.8% from the current rate. These continued wage rises, alongside pension, sick-pay, and other labour-cost burdens across the supply chain, contribute further to margin squeeze for producers. Ultimately, these costs must be absorbed within the value chain.

As previously reported, there have been detections of salmonella in the poultry sector. These cases occurred at stages that did not pose a risk to human health – a reflection of the effectiveness of on-farm controls, sampling regimes, and official testing structures. However, these incidents emphasise the significant risk that poultry producers carry (both reputational and operational) and the absence of systematic support mechanisms when a farm is affected. The Poultry Committee is actively engaging with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to secure additional funding support for poultry-sector disease outbreaks (including salmonella and other bio-security incidents).

According to CSO data for September, poultry prices rose marginally by 0.2% in the past month, while egg prices increased by 1.5%. Over the past 12 months, poultry meat prices rose by 6.5% and egg prices by 4.9%. As reported in November, there remains strong market demand for chicken and eggs, often resulting in limited shelf availability as demand continues to grow. The situation remains similar currently. IFA continues to send a clear message to retailers that producers must receive higher payments to cover rising costs, reinvest in their farms, expand production, and attract new entrants. Egg producers are presently seeking an increase of 24c/dozen for free-range eggs and 12c/dozen for enriched cage eggs. We are actively engaged with retailers on this matter, and some have shown keen interest in setting up a cost of production plus a margin model going forward. Broiler growers are presently seeking to recover the cost of the flat rate removal for their farm families. This made up a significant proportion of the farmers margin which cannot be done without. Farm succession remains a serious concern, as insufficient margins make it difficult to entice younger farmers into poultry production, a challenge reflected across many agricultural sectors. IFA will continue to engage with retailers to emphasise the need to improve returns for both chicken meat and egg producers.

The Poultry Committee has also made agreements with duck producers and Silverhill on a new payment package for their producers which has been a welcome development.  This is the first time the producers have formally requested the assistance of the IFA Poultry Committee, and we very much look forward to working with them into the future. 

The decision by the Minister for Finance to remove broiler poultry farmers from the Flat-Rate Addition (FRA) effective 1 September 2025 has been announced since the last report. This change means that broiler producers who previously applied the flat-rate addition will instead no longer be entitled to charge the FRA on the service provided. Since then, the Finance Bill has been published on the 16^th of October, and it seems as though this may force broiler producers register for VAT (if above thresholds) and reclaim input-VAT. The decision stems from a Revenue review of alleged over-compensation under the scheme in the sector.

The IFA emphasises the lack of a broiler-specific flat-rate VAT rate (permitted under the VAT Directive) as an unfair burden for broiler farmers — particularly mixed-enterprise farms. The removal from FRA will create significant administrative and financial burdens unless alternative measures are adopted. The IFA continues engagement with the Department of Finance on this and have made a submission on the Finance Bill rejecting the inclusion which would remove broiler farmers from the flat rate farmer scheme. 

Finally, as of the 1^st of November, the Biosecurity Regulations will come into effect in an attempt to better protect our sector from the threat of Avian Influenza. 

Activity since last National Council

• IFA National Poultry Chair, Nigel Sweetnam chaired the afternoon session of the Northern Ireland Poultry Industry Conference on Tuesday the 28^th of October. The committee is always working towards strengthening its relationships with farmers and colleagues in the North of Ireland. An ‘all island’ approach is so important in areas such as biosecurity to have joined up thinking and policies.

• In recent weeks, the Poultry Committee has been approached by Silverhill duck growers seeking representation. IFA has accompanied them to a meeting seeking a price rise with the Silverhill CEO and MD of Fane Valley who acquired Silverhill. We look forward to working proactively with them into the future. 
• The Poultry Committee hosted an online Poultry Biosecurity event attended by over 200 producers amid rising Avian Influenza risks. DAFM and NDCC joined the Q&A session, where producers raised key questions. The keynote address was delivered by Aonghus Lane, poultry vet at St Davids. Wild birds tested positive for Avian Influenza along the coastline in mid-June, underlining the need for ongoing vigilance. This recording is available online on the www.ifa.ie website at any stage for producers to refer to. 
• Nigel Sweetnam and Brendan Soden attended the Copa Cogeca Working Party and CDG meetings in Brussels on the 29^th and 30^th of September.
• Copa Cogeca has finalised its opinion paper on laying hen welfare for submission to the Commission. They intend to publish legislation on laying hens before addressing pigs, bovines, and other farm animals as part of the welfare legislation review. Impact assessments must be completed before any regulatory changes are implemented.
• The Committee, led by Chair Nigel Sweetnam and Vice Chair Brendan Soden, continues to engage with retailers, processors, and packers on price and other sectoral issues. Recent meetings addressed farmers’ margins, production system changes, sustainability, and overall viability.
• Committee members sit on the Bord Bia Technical Advisory Committee for poultry and eggs, representing farmer interests. Pilot audits will commence shortly.
• Ongoing engagement with the Departments of Finance, Agriculture, Revenue, and industry on VAT (FRA) continues, even with recent developments resulting in an objection being made to the Finance Bill. 
• Continued collaboration with Teagasc, with upcoming meetings scheduled with Professor Frank O’Meara to request additional sector funding for research and enhanced services.
• Continuous dialogue with processors and egg packers on pricing and other sectoral matters.
• Engagement with the Department, AHI, EPA, IEA, MII, Campylobacter Forum, and Bord Bia.
• Meetings with retailers on poultry-specific issues, particularly around pricing and risk management.
• Expansion of the IFA National Poultry WhatsApp group to distribute updates and knowledge transfer to poultry producers.

EU/COPA Developments

• The development of the position papers for the welfare of laying hens is currently being lobbied on by the WP for Poultry. 
• Engagement with Copa Cogeca and the Commission continues regarding implementation of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) to ensure a simplified approach. 
• The European Food Safety Authority has issued welfare recommendations for poultry transport. The Commission plans to update this legislation, and we are working with DAFM and Copa on this issue.
• Copa Cogeca presented conclusions of its impact assessment on ending cage use, outlining implications for agriculture and necessary transition periods.
• Engagement continues with Copa Cogeca to identify a sustainable solution for day-old chick management.
• Avian Influenza Update: The EU vaccination program will introduce specific rules for vaccination when used for control or prevention, allowing safe movement of animals and products from vaccinated zones, as confirmed by Stella Kyriakides.

Upcoming Issues

• Seek clarification on the meaning of the Finance Bill relative to flat rate addition vat.
• Our retail executive, Robert Malone is in the process of arranging retail meetings for the poultry sector as cost pressures must again be addressed. We will continue to actively engage and work within the supply chain to ensure fair price is being returned to poultry producers. 
• Seeking support from DAFM on a national disease support structure for the sector, currently engaging with Poultry Ireland on this matter due to recent developments and the massive risk burden to farmers.