Irish beef prices being higher than the markets they export to is “not really sustainable in the long-term,” IFA livestock and animal health executive Tomás Bourke has said.

Speaking at a Wexford IFA executive meeting in Enniscorthy, Bourke said that a recent price drop in Ireland, coupled with a strengthening of UK prices means “we are now touching the EU beef price, and we’re below the UK price. That’s actually a positive place to be. In the last week, the Irish price has turned”.

Bourke highlighted the danger from the proposed Mercosur trade agreement, with 99,000t of low-tariff beef representing half of all Irish beef exports to the EU.

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“The difficulty is that it will all be high-value steak cuts, the equivalent of almost 4m animals. It will have a huge impact on Ireland, most EU countries are beef importers,” he said. Bourke warned of competition in the UK market.

“The UK have done a trade deal with Australia that will give them tariff-free access for over 100,000t of beef, which again equates to 50% of Irish exports to the UK in 2024”.

Wildlife controls

Regarding TB, Bourke highlighted the failure of the badger vaccination programme to control the spread of TB.

Areas with current high incidence of bovine TB such as north Kilkenny, were where the badger vaccination programme was piloted. He said that deer population control would require a significant cull.

“We aren’t talking about filling a few freezers,” he said, calling for a coherent collection or drop-off network for culled deer.