Francie Gorman, the IFA president, didn’t mince his words.

The fantastic prices cattle finishers got this time last year were needed “to fill holes created by a decade of rising input costs and falling direct payments”.

In other words, 2025 didn’t create a “rainy day fund” that finishers could dip into to cover the losses being felt at present.

And suckler farmers needed every cent they were getting for store cattle.

The problem he, and practically every other farmer in the room, identified is the factory price this spring.

The 42c/kg gap that has emerged between our beef prices and the weighted average price being obtained by farmers in our main export markets, outlined by Bord Bia’s Joe Burke in his presentation, was described by various speakers as “unacceptable” disheartening” “opportunistic” and “deeply damaging”.

What was the processors’ response? How did they explain the scale and pace of the gap that has emerged between Irish beef prices and those in the UK and across the EU? What reassurance did they give winter finishers that they are valued by processors?

There was no response at all. There was no processor representative present.

No-one from Meat Industry Ireland, no-one from ABP, Dawn Meats or Kepak, who between them own the vast majority of our processing capacity.

Carlow cattle finisher John Kehoe described it as “outrageous” that the people who buy his product weren’t present. Kehoe highlighted that a shed of 100 cattle will lose over €30,000 this winter.

Bord Bia, in contrast, turned up in force. Joe Burke’s presentation was attended by three of his senior colleagues, including CEO Jim O’Toole, from the front row. Some might have expected tension on stage between Burke and Francie Gorman, given the recent dispute between the IFA and Bord Bia. Gorman quickly debunked that.

Perspective

“Joe Burke has come to these meetings for as long as I’ve been involved in IFA,” he said. “He gives a good perspective it. Without Joe making the presentations here at these meetings and giving us clarity on supply and demand for our product, we go home the poorer.”

Gorman did repeat his call for a review of Origin Green.

The other fireworks came when ICSA president Seán McNamara took offence at Gorman’s comments about the IFA’s opposition to Mercosur, highlighting his organisation’s protests outside Dáil Éireann.

He asked why the IFA didn’t join ICSA, and perhaps answered his own question by the intensity and incoherence of his contribution.

The Beef Plan’s Nadaline Webster made a thoughtful contribution, wondering if we can market the high-welfare status of our beef herd.

She also called for a review of the farmer representation on Bord Bia’s meat and livestock board.