The Moore family has been operating a successful pig production business for over 40 years in Offaly and Carlow. Mattie Moore explains more.
When Patrick Moore started out with a single sow in the early 1970s, he could scarcely have imagined how big his business would become. Nowadays, the family keeps 1,800 sows at their farm in Croghan, Co. Offaly which produces thousands of finished pigs every year. The Moores are one of just 200 pig producers in Ireland who operate 400 farms between them.
Incredibly, these 200 farmers, combined with the feed mills, give employment to 8,000 people, with approximately 60 per cent of Irish bacon and pork products being exported.
“The industry doesn’t get the recognition or credit it deserves,” maintains Mattie Moore, who heads up the family business along with his aforementioned father Patrick.
“It’s remarkable to think that 200 farmers are able to produce the amount of pork and bacon that they do. Compared to other farming sectors, the industry is very small. Everyone knows everyone in it.
“When students from local secondary schools visit our farm, they are amazed and fascinated with what they see. A lot of them wouldn’t have even been aware of our existence! We also take in a lot of agricultural science and veterinary students on work experience. The pig industry is a hidden gem which has huge scoop for growth in this country.”
The Moores produce pigs from three different units in Offaly and Carlow. The cycle begins on the family farm not far from the summit of Croghan Hill, which is the remains of an extinct volcano and rises from the Bog of Allen in north Co. Offaly, and continues in Tullow where the pigs are finished at separate units. The Moores mill their own feed in addition to keeping heifers and growing their own corn.
The three farms are known as: Croghan Pig Farm, Rath Pig Farm and Forest Pig Farm. The mill is called Moore Feeds.
“The pigs spend the first part of their lives in Croghan before they are relocated to our two fat pig farms in Tullow when they are weaners. The weaners weigh between 17kg and 30kg. Once they are finished, they go to McCarron’s in Cavan or Dawn Pork & Bacon in Waterford for slaughter. We’ve always sold directly to the factories,” Mattie explains.
The business produces 220 tonnes of milled feed per week in Tullow and has a nice arrangement with local farmers in this regard. “The grain we use comes indirectly from them who, conversely, get it back in the form of pig slurry. We allow them to come in and draw the slurry away. The feed we produce is only for our own use,” Mattie continues.
The Moores also use their transport. They have two trucks – a MAN 480 and a Volvo FM12 – to cater for the transport of pigs and feed. “The big advantage to having your own transport is that your pigs don’t come in contact with pigs from other farms and, thus, you eliminate the threat of disease spreading. Your health and is your wealth in this game.”
The business is a real family affair with Mattie’s mother Lily and wife Miriam also involved. Mattie and Miriam have three young boys – Patrick Og, Joseph and Michael – who they hope will be the next generation of pig farmers in Croghan. A total of 10 staff is employed between the three production units and the milling plant.
Mattie studied agriculture at the now closed Franciscan College in Multyfarnham, Co. Westmeath and actually captained them to win an All-Ireland Agricultural Colleges league football title in 1997. He continued his football career thereafter with his local St. Brigid’s GAA club and was runner-up in the 2010 FBD Young Farmer of the Year competition in 2010.
The Moores have invested heavily in their pig units over the years, having in recent times installed a state-of-the-art ESF (Electronic Sow Feeder) system in Croghan. An ESF system generally provides a single (or very few) feeding station(s) for a large group of sows (typically 40 to 60 sows per station). The sows must eat sequentially, one after the other, from the same station. Once a sow enters the station the entrance gate locks behind her and she is identified by means of a transponder in her ear tag.
The computer-controlled feeder allots her a specific amount of feed, dropped into the feed bowl over a limited period of time. During the feed drop, and for several minutes afterwards, the entrance gate remains locked so that other sows may not enter. The sow may leave at any time, ending the dispensing of feed and unlocking the entrance for the next sow. The computer records the amount of feed that has been dispensed to each sow – not the amount actually eaten – and allocates any undispensed allotment to a subsequent entrance by the same sow that same day, or to her next day’s feed. The system typically cycles on a daily basis, with a new allotment of feed being made available to each sow every 24 hours.
As the stockperson is not be present while each sow eats, the system must provide feedback on any sows that fail to eat their allotment each day. This feedback is in the form of an ‘attention’ list available to the stockperson at the end of each 24-hour cycle, and is used to identify animals that may need additional care.
“The days of hand-feeding pigs are gone. Everything is automated now. The welfare of our pigs is also very important to us,” Mattie says.
The Moores are members of the IFA Pigs and Pig Meat Committee, which is the representative body for the country’s pig producers. Key policy areas and areas of activity for the IFA Pigs Committee include: pig prices and weekly market analysis; meetings with processors to maintain pressure to return a fair price with both suppliers and committee members; promoting and organising the export of weaners to continent and slaughter pigs to Northern Ireland.
The IFA has also commissioned a study to look at the cost elements in pig feed and identify ways of reducing costs. IFA pressure also succeeded in getting the Pig Industry Review 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.
In addition, the IFA has made significant progress on pig health, welfare and environmental issues.
Mattie welcomes the DNA Certified Programme for pig meat which was established to combat misleading labelling and to provide reassurance for producers and consumers on the origin of pig meat on the Irish market.
Mattie is also a shareholder in Truly Irish Country Foods, which is a farm-based business established by 80 pig producers that gives the shareholder full control of his product from farm to market. As producers of the finest pork and bacon in the world, these farmers had become increasingly frustrated with the quality of rashers, sausages and bacon being sold to Irish consumers and decided to fight back by forming their own farmer co-op with producers in every county. Following on from this, they launched their own brand in a bid to counter the mislabelling of their brands which were giving the impression that they were Irish.
“One of the objectives of Truly Irish is to ensure pig producers get a bigger cut of the price. High grain prices have made things very tough for us. You have to get bigger and bigger if you want to continue making the same money. A lot of pig farmers are struggling at the moment,” he concludes.
Moore’s Piggery
Old Croghan,
Croghan Rhode,
Co. Offaly
Tel: 057 9353118
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 2 No 2, June/July 2014
