As a director in both M&R Pigs and MM Pigs, a former chairman of the IFA’s national pigs committee and a driving force behind the pioneering programme to make commercial pig farming more viable in Uganda, Michael Maguire is one of Ireland’s leading authorities on all things pig-related. We caught up with the Cavan man to find out more.
Between his two pig units in County Cavan – one in Bailieboro and one in Ballinagh – Michael Maguire oversees the production of some 400 pigs per week. He’s also instrumental in the ongoing programme to help develop a viable pig industry in the East African country, Uganda, and an active committee member of the IFA, having chaired the national pigs committee for three years.
Regarding his own enterprises, the affable Virginia man notes: “M&R Pig was started by myself and Kevin Reilly in Cross, Bailieboro in 2005 after we bought Ray Carolan’s old unit from him. It’s a fully-integrated birth-to-bacon operation, with 400 sows producing about 200 pigs per week, which are sold to Rosderra Meats in Offaly. This is a three-person operation, which is run by my fellow shareholder, Kevin, whose father Peter also works alongside him.
“MM Pigs goes back to the mid-90s when I started purchasing weaners for finishing. The operation took off when I put some sows in Ballinagh in 2000 and that unit now also runs about 400 sows and is also a three-man operation. The finished pigs from there go to Lislin Meats in Mullagh.”
The pig industry has been through a lot of tough times since Michael got involved so it’s no mean feat to be running not just one but two successful pig units. What has been the key to his success in this demanding sector? “Maintaining a good health status is vital. Health, housing, nutrition and management are the four legs to the stool and you have to get them all working together. If you are falling down in any one of those four areas, then you more than likely won’t get any return. You have to strive for continuous improvement and you have to be prepared to invest in upgrading your systems, because genetics and nutrition are forever improving and you have to move with that.
“Alongside productivity from yourself, food conversion is vital. How well can you produce it? How well can the pig convert the feed to meat on his back?”
Away from his own units, the development project to try to nurture a sustainable commercial pig industry in Uganda also takes up a lot of Michael’s time. This project is a Devenish Nutrition funded initiative, which is unique in that a private company has embarked on a development project with the intention of making it self sustaining after five years. The aim of the programme is to foster a broader role for Irish agri-food companies in development projects overseas and to help promote commercial activity by Irish companies.
The project involves setting up a demonstration pig farm and feed mill in the Hoima region. The kernel of the problem being addressed is the lack of a pig industry in Uganda – pigs are produced in Uganda as a means for immediate survival at smallholder farmer level, but the basis for this proposal is that a market exists for locally-produced and processed pork products.
“Uganda is on a similar footing to where Ireland was 70 years ago, with small scale, inefficient production and backyard subsidence operations,” the Cavan man notes. “We’re trying to get them to work as commercial businesses. I was approached to help with the piggery project in 2013.”
Michael had worked in Uganda as a volunteer before from 1986-89 and he jumped at the opportunity to go back and work there in an area that he knew so well, i.e. pigs.
“Trade is a better way of solving Uganda’s problems than aid. We have a small 40-sow model farm there and have constructed a feed mill which is the only one in Uganda that specialises in pig and poultry feed – the rest of the mills there are generic. We’re working with a co-operative of 90 farmers who we have identified as progressive and we hope to leave a sustainable infrastructure behind us when we leave. We believe it will be able to sustain itself from the end of 2017 and we’re also going to look at some options in Kenya.”
For this project, Michael travels to Uganda six times a year for up to ten days at a time. “There are challenges such as currency and stability risks but we are confident that the knowledge transfer programme will be a success and that Ugandan pig farmers will be able to establish themselves as commercial farmers.”
What about the challenges facing pig farmers back home in Ireland, where it can also be a struggle against the odds? “The prices we are getting is always a challenge. As these are due to the fluctuating nature of markets, they are out of our control, which can be very frustrating, but hopefully meat prices will stabilise.
“Also, the Nitrates Directive is up for review in 2017, and we would be concerned that it could hamper our ability to spread manure as effectively as we could in the past. We are custodians of the land and are aware of our responsibilities. I genuinely believe that we are good at what we do and that it’s done in a sustainable manner.
“Feed costs is another worry and getting good people into the industry,” Michael concludes. “We need our ag colleges to promote the opportunities that exist for young people coming into pig farming – an area that needs more youth and energy.”
Michael lives in Virginia, County Cavan and is happily married to Aiveen. The pair have five sons and it was a terrific year locally as Ramor United won the Cavan SFC, defeating Castlerahan after a replay in the final. Michael’s sons Cathal and Killian were part of the all-conquering squad, while a third son, Liam, was on the club’s U21 championship-winning team.
Bringing home the bacon.
M & R Pigs,
Fartadreen,
Bailiesborough,
County Cavan.
Tel; 042 9666530
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 5 No 1, January/February 2017
