Supermarkets and corner shops have been re-stocking with Irish pork and bacon following last week's recall of pigmeat products that caused chaos in the industry and threatened thousands of jobs.

Assurances four days into the crisis from the European Food Safety Authority and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and other experts that there are no public health issues involved in consuming Irish pork products has been accepted by consumers.

Feedback from the retail sector supports findings from Bord Bia, the Irish food board, conducted among consumers last week. These indicated that consumers were reassured by the swiftness of the response by the authorities to the pig meat crisis and appeared to rate the potential economic impact ahead of concerns over health and safety issues.

Bord Bia, which has distributed more than three million specially designed pork and bacon labels to approved pig meat processors nationwide, said it was delighted with the positive response from both the trade and consumers.

Irish farmers and pig meat processors have welcomed a €180 million special government fund to revive the industry.

The money will compensate processors forced to recall and destroy tons of pork feared contaminated by a cancer-causing substance in animal feed processed at a single plant in Co. Carlow.

Government export support agencies have already initiated a campaign overseas to rebuild confidence in Irish pig meat. A full resumption of trade within European markets, which account for almost 90% of the industry's exports, is regarded as an urgent priority.

Meanwhile, arrangements are under way to slaughter 100,000 pigs on 10 farms at the center of the alert and which have not been publicly identified.

The animals will not be allowed to enter the food chain, and will be slaughtered at premises specially designated for the purpose.

The farmers involved will be compensated by the government for any loss.

Across the border, Northern Ireland's agri-food sector is to seek compensation for costs incurred during the crisis.

Two Stormont ministers, Arlene Foster and Michelle Gildernew, are due to hold discussions with their counterparts in the Republic this week.

The largest pork processor in the North slaughters nearly 20,000 pigs each week, with 40% of them sourced from farms in the Republic.

Eleven companies in Northern Ireland received pig meat from the south that was subject to the recall and destroy order.