Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed will chair a meeting of beef industry representatives including farmers, processors, retailers, banks and Government agencies this Thursday.

Depsite the past few days’ timid recovery, IFA president Joe Healy warned that the recent slump in beef prices and the increase forecast in cattle supply would force a rethink of the sector strategy as “there is no future for the Irish beef industry at current prices”.

“Factories must demand significantly higher prices from their British retailer customers and pass these increases directly back to struggling farmers,” Healy said. He also called for more live exports of calves, weanlings and store cattle to balance the market, including to Northern Ireland when he called on the minister to intervene to solve country-of-origin labelling issues.

The IFA also wants an increase in direct supports to €200 per suckler cow and permanent Department of Agriculture inspections of carcase trim in factories.

I’ll be asking the minister for a dedicated division within Bord Bia to deal with live exports

ICSA beef chair Edmond Phelan also said that price would be the priority point of discussion. “You can blame Brexit and the fall in the sterling exchange rate, but primary producers cannot carry the cost on their own,” he said. Between extra births and falling live exports, he expects up to 200,000 extra cattle to come to slaughter next year. “I’ll be asking the minister for a dedicated division within Bord Bia to deal with live exports,” Phelan said. According to him, Government policy has so far only focused on increasing beef production, without including steps towards better producer prices.

On specifications, fat covers and trim, he said the processors could not continue to impose ever more stringent requirements on farmers. “Factories need to get tough with the retailers,” he said, referencing the recent clashes over supply contracts between manufacturers such as Unilever and British supermarkets.

Farm income ‘the missing piece of the jigsaw’

Macra na Feirme hopes that the beef forum will deliver “a complete vision for the profitability of the sector into the future”. According to Macra, the beef forum has delivered little for beef farmers and its success will be judged on setting out clear objectives and delivering for beef farmers who are under real pressure.

“Foodwise 2025 sets out a vision for the development of the beef industry through both increases and growth in production levels but lacks detail in how to improve income at farm level and this is the missing piece of the jigsaw the forum must address,” said Macra president Seán Finan.

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