The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, has accused the British government of ignoring the plight of Northern Ireland's crisis-hit pig industry. He told the Assembly that he knew of pig farmers facing bankruptcy who were considering suicide.
Dr Paisley also complained that Northern farmers were additionally suffering because some of the North's depleted slaughtering capacity was being taken up by Southern farmers. He said an increasing number of pigs were being shipped from the Republic to the North for processing.
The industry, worth £200 million annually, has been in decline in Northern Ireland because of a global supply of pork and bacon. The situation in Northern Ireland was exacerbated by a fire last June which destroyed the Lovell and Christmas processing plant in Ballymoney, Co Antrim. It slaughtered 40 per cent of Northern Ireland pigs.
He said that between farmers and processors, 4,000 people were affected by the crisis. There was now a backlog of 20,000 pigs awaiting slaughter on Northern farms, and he could see that increasing to 40,000.
Farmers had the added problem of feeding the animals; they now owed £40 million for feedstocks. He appealed to the banks to be sensitive in their dealings with farmers who owed them money.
Dr Paisley said money was available from the European Union to aid the industry, but despite his representations the British government had refused to apply for funding. "More and more farmers are going to the wall, and some have contemplated suicide," he added.
Mr Denis Haughey, SDLP agricultural spokesman, said efforts should be made to lease spare slaughter capacity from the South. He said that the Assembly should devote a full day to debate the overall agriculture crisis. "Northern Ireland needs urgent assistance to get farmers through this crisis."
Mr Francie Molloy of Sinn Fein urged an all-Ireland agricultural policy which would have a special emphasis on marketing. "The decline in agriculture over the past number of years has left many farmers wondering is this a deliberate policy by the British government in conjunction with the EU to wind down the entire industry."
Mr David Ford, Alliance's agricultural spokesman, said EU aid was required in the short term to ease the crisis, but in the longer term there must be concentration on improving food standards.
The British government, he added, had made a commitment to create a Foods Standards Agency in the North, and this should be speedily implemented in order to make Northern produce more attractive to consumers.
