PIG farmers "deserve fair return for their product" Stormont's agricultural committee has said.
It was briefed last week by the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) on the growing pig price differential between Northern Ireland and Britain
and the financial strain this was placing on local pig farmers.
Committee chairman William Irwin said it had "been aware for some time that the wider EU pig meat market including Northern Ireland and GB, has been experiencing significant price decreases".
"However, we were concerned to learn today that the impact here has been much greater, with local pig farmers seeing an average return of just £1.25 per kg in comparison to the £1.43 per kg GB farmers receive for their pigs," he said.
"There can be no justification for this price gap, particularly as pig farmers here are required to and indeed do meet the same high standards as their counterparts in GB. They should therefore be entitled to expect a fair and equitable return for their product.
Deputy chairman Joe Byrne added: "An additional concern is the fact that our pig producers are paying between £20 and £25 per tonne more for feed than producers in GB, resulting in significant overheads that can only result in a further reduction in profit margins."
The UFU's deputy president Ivor Ferguson said: "Many Northern Ireland pig farmers are still facing an unsustainable and unfair price differential in comparison with their GB counterparts and more needs to be done to see this crucial issue addressed.
"Also, feed prices continue to be higher in NI resulting in raised input costs and farmers profit margins being squeezed."