Beef Market Taskforce chair Michael Dowling has issued an update to stakeholders in the absence of the taskforce reconvening due to COVID-19.

While the taskforce has not physically met since March and there have been calls for it to sit remotely, the chair moved to reassure members that its work was continuing.

One of the key outcomes of the last meeting was the awarding of contracts to Grant Thornton to complete three transparency studies into the beef sector.

Grant Thornton

In a letter issued by Grant Thornton’s head of advisory Brendan Foster to Dowling, Foster cited “some unanticipated challenges which will lead to delays in the delivery of the final reports”.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has also led to delays, as stakeholders prioritise dealing with the crisis.

The study focused on summarising competition law in the beef sector is at an advanced stage. Grant Thornton has identified all the relevant legislation and held consultation with stakeholders along the supply chain.

Some final consultations are required before it is finalised and issued to the taskforce.

Specs

An independent review into market and customer requirements for beef is also being undertaken. This report will set out what the current in-spec bonus criteria are and set out their alignment to customer requirements. It will also assess demand for particular cuts in key markets.

It has been delayed, as stakeholder engagements have ground to a halt in the face of travel restrictions and COVID-19 shifting priorities.

In the meantime, in-depth analysis of existing in-spec bonus criteria has been completed and data relating to third country requirements received.

Pricing

The final study is an examination of the total value of an animal along the supply chain. It will map the supply chain from farm to market and allocate price points to components of the animal along the chain.

However, in his letter, Foster says: “In order to maintain the anonymity of stakeholders, certain qualitative information will be presented in a thematic format, whereby only recurring key themes from various consultations will be discussed.

“Furthermore, there are commercial sensitivities in relation to some of the qualitative data being collected and, therefore, this may be presented in an aggregated format.”