The Department of Agriculture has estimated that the coronavirus pandemic has cost Ireland’s beef sector €100m – so far.
Speaking on RTE’s Countrywide on Saturday morning, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said his department has estimated that, up to this week, COVID-19 has meant losses of €100m.
“It was a difficult time for beef farmers even before COVID-19 but as a consequence of COVID and the lockdown of markets across the US, particularly food service markets or restaurants and hotels, and it has really had a pretty dramatic adverse impact on the farmers,” Minister Creed said.
It was a difficult time for beef farmers even before COVID-19
Ireland’s reliance on beef exports and exports to the food service sector has meant it was disproportionately affected by the closure of that industry.
Ireland exports about 40% of its beef to retail buyers such as supermarkets, 30% into hotels and restaurants and 30% as manufacturing beef, which Minister Creed said also ends up in food service.
“As a consequence, we would have estimated in the Department - and this is an ongoing situation but up to this week - approximately €100m costs and losses for the beef sector since the COVID impact,” he said.
“We felt it was right that the State should step in and support farmers with this kind of a package,” he said.
Sucklers
When asked about the €50m support package being targeted only at beef finishers, the minister said this would benefit others such as suckler farmers in the mart trade later this year.
He said beef finishers need confidence and the €50m support package would help with this and “they will keep the cycle of investment going and buy those weanlings at the back end of the year”.
He added that suckler farmers had received support in the €30m paid through the BDGP, €35m in the BEEP scheme and those two, combined with the BEAM scheme, had made available €205m of extra funding for the sector.
Government talks
Amid speculation that a deal had been done on agriculture in the government formation talks, the minister said: “I can assure you there will be no programme for government that doesn't acknowledge the critical role that this sector plays.
“I'm pleased to say that a lot of progress has been made and there is, perhaps with a different emphasis from all parties to the talks, an acknowledgement that this is a critical sector ... there may be different emphasis, but there is an acknowledgement of the role of the sector.”
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New beef fund- a vital life support for beef finishers
The Department of Agriculture has estimated that the coronavirus pandemic has cost Ireland’s beef sector €100m – so far.
Speaking on RTE’s Countrywide on Saturday morning, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said his department has estimated that, up to this week, COVID-19 has meant losses of €100m.
“It was a difficult time for beef farmers even before COVID-19 but as a consequence of COVID and the lockdown of markets across the US, particularly food service markets or restaurants and hotels, and it has really had a pretty dramatic adverse impact on the farmers,” Minister Creed said.
It was a difficult time for beef farmers even before COVID-19
Ireland’s reliance on beef exports and exports to the food service sector has meant it was disproportionately affected by the closure of that industry.
Ireland exports about 40% of its beef to retail buyers such as supermarkets, 30% into hotels and restaurants and 30% as manufacturing beef, which Minister Creed said also ends up in food service.
“As a consequence, we would have estimated in the Department - and this is an ongoing situation but up to this week - approximately €100m costs and losses for the beef sector since the COVID impact,” he said.
“We felt it was right that the State should step in and support farmers with this kind of a package,” he said.
Sucklers
When asked about the €50m support package being targeted only at beef finishers, the minister said this would benefit others such as suckler farmers in the mart trade later this year.
He said beef finishers need confidence and the €50m support package would help with this and “they will keep the cycle of investment going and buy those weanlings at the back end of the year”.
He added that suckler farmers had received support in the €30m paid through the BDGP, €35m in the BEEP scheme and those two, combined with the BEAM scheme, had made available €205m of extra funding for the sector.
Government talks
Amid speculation that a deal had been done on agriculture in the government formation talks, the minister said: “I can assure you there will be no programme for government that doesn't acknowledge the critical role that this sector plays.
“I'm pleased to say that a lot of progress has been made and there is, perhaps with a different emphasis from all parties to the talks, an acknowledgement that this is a critical sector ... there may be different emphasis, but there is an acknowledgement of the role of the sector.”
Read more
Watch: Farm Tech Talk - marts reopen, reseeding and sheep profits
New €50m beef scheme for finishers only
New beef fund- a vital life support for beef finishers
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