Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen stressed: “The sector has been hard hit by the Russian ban on EU pig meat exports, being a victim of an unjustified and unproportional sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) embargo since February 2014.

"Until now, no action has been taken to support the sector. Prices have reached critical levels, being less than the EU’s reference threshold price for over 18 consecutive weeks. This has a huge impact on producers margins, forcing some already out of business."

Mr Tavares Chairman of the Copa-Cogeca Working Party on Pigmeat added: “We therefore support the Commissions initiative to take supplies off the market by opening the private storage aid (PSA) scheme for pig meat.

"It was approved by member states this week and is a step in the right direction. Nevertheless, we strongly regret that the products mostly affected by the Russian ban are not included. I believe it will help to improve the market situation until new market outlets for the produce have been found. It will have a positive price impact.

He continued: “We will keep working with the European Commission to introduce complementary measures. We believe that other important measures like alternative uses for the fat that is currently in storage, finding new alternative market, the removal of SPS barriers and promotion measures complement the PSA scheme.

"This would help to ensure that we have a viable pigmeat sector in the future to meet world demand which is predicted to rise in the long term."