The consumer is king: a piece of advice that probably features in even the most basic of marketing manuals. Nevertheless, it is still worth stopping to think about what it means in the context of Irish agriculture and whether or not we believe it to be true.
Every year we depend on over 35m high-end consumers in countries all around the world to purchase food from our agricultural sector. But what do these consumers expect from the Irish brand?
We know that when competing in a global market or dealing with premium food companies, the demands extend beyond just taste and basic food safety requirements.
It is for this reason that Bord Bia, along with processors, have been to the fore in branding Irish food as being produced from one of the best animal welfare and environmentally sustainable production systems in the world. Whether this brand position adequately rewards farmers is perhaps a question for another day.
While developing this brand proposition is important, ensuring that it delivers on what the consumer expects it to stand for is critical. As an industry that has positioned itself as a world leader in terms of environment, welfare and food safety, there is simply no room for surprises. The high-end consumer that Ireland is targeting has proven time and time again just how unforgiving they can be when a product is found not to deliver on the brand promise.
In such an environment, we cannot afford to brush potential issues under the carpet. I was asked at a farmers’ meeting recently if I saw an issue with calves being slaughtered at two to three weeks of age. Of course the practice is relatively uncommon and when it does occur, calves are slaughtered humanely and under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture.
However, in many ways, this is irrelevant. The real question is are such practices aligned with what the consumers expects of our brand?
As an industry that has positioned itself as a world leader in terms of environment, welfare and food safety, there is simply no room for surprises
The same argument applies when it comes to the spreading of sludge (non-farm waste) on farmland. Again, is this aligned to how we have positioned our product in the eyes of the consumer? We should not underestimate the challenge that protecting our brand image represents. Social media platforms now provide the opportunity for images and videos to be broadcast across the world without any need for context.
As a result, every farmer, processor and mart is a shop window for a global consumer that has more than likely never stepped foot in Ireland. Their knowledge of how we produce food is largely based around what they understand the brand to represent.
Unfortunately, it is now irrelevant as to how representative potentially damaging practices are of national standards. When you are explaining, you are losing. In such an environment, to accept that the consumer is king unfortunately means ensuring that practices at all stages in the production chain correspond with what consumers expects from the brand, regardless of what we as farmers may consider to be right.
The spotlight on our industry extends beyond the international consumer. At national level, we must also ensure all practices taking place on Irish farms and across the supply chain meet the standards that are expected from society.
We should learn from the mistakes in New Zealand where the intense focus on expansion 10 to 15 years ago had a complete disregard for water usage and nutrient containment. Now kiwi farmers are left dealing with the political and environmental consequences of having lost what is effectively a “social licence” to produce.
With urban dwellers becoming increasingly disconnected from rural Ireland, we must work hard as an industry to ensure that the environmental and welfare standards to which the industry adheres are evident from the practices that the non-farming community see taking place on our farms.
Mairead Lavery: stepping down after 11 years
Mairead Lavery with Neven Maguire at the 2017 Women & Agriculture conference. \ Philip Doyle
After 11 years, Mairead Lavery is stepping down as editor of Irish Country Living. She joined us with a unique set of attributes that shone through her writing and how she connected with readers, especially women and rural families. From a dairy farm and public house-owning family in Wicklow, she married Sean and they raised their three children near Shanagolden in west Limerick.
Mairead’s mother was widowed at an early age and it was clear that even if Mairead may not have realised it, her mother’s hard work and loneliness during those years of widowhood and responsibility gave Mairead a special empathy with farm women and real rural life.
She campaigned vigorously in Irish Country Living with backing from the IFA so that pension anomalies that penalised farm women would be recognised and rectified – and they were.
When she decided that women in agriculture should have a forum where their own issues could be discussed and debated, Mairead organised the Women & Agriculture conference. It has become one of the biggest annual events in the country.
After a visit to the Irish Farmers Journal equivalent in Sweden, she planned and launched Irish Country Magazine as a high-quality standalone publication. It has won numerous awards and has become the largest selling women’s magazine in the country.
We are delighted that Mairead has agreed to remain on as part of the team and look forward to her valuable contributions.
Sterling fluctuation: protection measures needed
Sterling is back in dangerous territory for farmers in Ireland, at 91p to €1.
The impact exchange rates can have on prices is often not fully appreciated. With over 98% of our mushroom and 50% of our beef exports going to the UK, both sectors are very exposed. At an English beef price of £3.70kg, a 5p shift (from 85-90p) in sterling against the euro equates to a 25c/kg shift in Irish beef going into the UK.
As Brexit negotiations play out, further currency shocks are likely. It is incredible that the Government and EU appear content with leaving farmers and small businesses exposed without any safety net. While hedging is often seen as the solution, the reality is that many of these businesses are viewed by larger operators in the supply chain as their natural hedge, effectively passing the impact of currency down to the smaller operators.
It is not tenable for Government to continue to turn a blind eye – a currency protection mechanism needs to be introduced.
Animal health: time to get stock healthy before housing
Our Focus supplement this week deals with animal health. Protocols will have to be adjusted to reflect the impact of difficult summer grazing conditions. Cow condition score at housing will need to be monitored.
Now is the time for suckler farmers to be thinking about getting calves in top health ahead of the high-stress weaning period. Creep feeding and worm dosing should be priorities. Given the importance of animal health to farm profit, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Tommy Heffernan to our specialist team. Starting next week, Tommy will provide farmers with technical advice on what steps they can take to improve herd health in a bid to improve profitability, reduce antibiotic usage and maintain our high welfare standards.
Insurance: more competition yet prices keep rising
Elsewhere this week, Owen Cashman looks at the rising costs of insurance. There has probably never been more competition in the market and yet we see prices continuing to rise. While attention needs to be kept on the service providers, there is no doubt that the judicial system and the scale of the payouts awarded by judges need to be reviewed.
It is also important that insurance policies and the scope of cover reflects the changes taking place at farm level. With an increased reliance on non-family labour, employee liability is coming more to the fore and is not included as standard all-in polices.
It is critical that, regardless of provider, farmers fully understand what is covered in their policies and are confident that in the event of a claim, it is handled swiftly and fairly.
Read more
Autumn a high risk for animal health
What should you be paying for insurance?
The consumer is king: a piece of advice that probably features in even the most basic of marketing manuals. Nevertheless, it is still worth stopping to think about what it means in the context of Irish agriculture and whether or not we believe it to be true.
Every year we depend on over 35m high-end consumers in countries all around the world to purchase food from our agricultural sector. But what do these consumers expect from the Irish brand?
We know that when competing in a global market or dealing with premium food companies, the demands extend beyond just taste and basic food safety requirements.
It is for this reason that Bord Bia, along with processors, have been to the fore in branding Irish food as being produced from one of the best animal welfare and environmentally sustainable production systems in the world. Whether this brand position adequately rewards farmers is perhaps a question for another day.
While developing this brand proposition is important, ensuring that it delivers on what the consumer expects it to stand for is critical. As an industry that has positioned itself as a world leader in terms of environment, welfare and food safety, there is simply no room for surprises. The high-end consumer that Ireland is targeting has proven time and time again just how unforgiving they can be when a product is found not to deliver on the brand promise.
In such an environment, we cannot afford to brush potential issues under the carpet. I was asked at a farmers’ meeting recently if I saw an issue with calves being slaughtered at two to three weeks of age. Of course the practice is relatively uncommon and when it does occur, calves are slaughtered humanely and under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture.
However, in many ways, this is irrelevant. The real question is are such practices aligned with what the consumers expects of our brand?
As an industry that has positioned itself as a world leader in terms of environment, welfare and food safety, there is simply no room for surprises
The same argument applies when it comes to the spreading of sludge (non-farm waste) on farmland. Again, is this aligned to how we have positioned our product in the eyes of the consumer? We should not underestimate the challenge that protecting our brand image represents. Social media platforms now provide the opportunity for images and videos to be broadcast across the world without any need for context.
As a result, every farmer, processor and mart is a shop window for a global consumer that has more than likely never stepped foot in Ireland. Their knowledge of how we produce food is largely based around what they understand the brand to represent.
Unfortunately, it is now irrelevant as to how representative potentially damaging practices are of national standards. When you are explaining, you are losing. In such an environment, to accept that the consumer is king unfortunately means ensuring that practices at all stages in the production chain correspond with what consumers expects from the brand, regardless of what we as farmers may consider to be right.
The spotlight on our industry extends beyond the international consumer. At national level, we must also ensure all practices taking place on Irish farms and across the supply chain meet the standards that are expected from society.
We should learn from the mistakes in New Zealand where the intense focus on expansion 10 to 15 years ago had a complete disregard for water usage and nutrient containment. Now kiwi farmers are left dealing with the political and environmental consequences of having lost what is effectively a “social licence” to produce.
With urban dwellers becoming increasingly disconnected from rural Ireland, we must work hard as an industry to ensure that the environmental and welfare standards to which the industry adheres are evident from the practices that the non-farming community see taking place on our farms.
Mairead Lavery: stepping down after 11 years
Mairead Lavery with Neven Maguire at the 2017 Women & Agriculture conference. \ Philip Doyle
After 11 years, Mairead Lavery is stepping down as editor of Irish Country Living. She joined us with a unique set of attributes that shone through her writing and how she connected with readers, especially women and rural families. From a dairy farm and public house-owning family in Wicklow, she married Sean and they raised their three children near Shanagolden in west Limerick.
Mairead’s mother was widowed at an early age and it was clear that even if Mairead may not have realised it, her mother’s hard work and loneliness during those years of widowhood and responsibility gave Mairead a special empathy with farm women and real rural life.
She campaigned vigorously in Irish Country Living with backing from the IFA so that pension anomalies that penalised farm women would be recognised and rectified – and they were.
When she decided that women in agriculture should have a forum where their own issues could be discussed and debated, Mairead organised the Women & Agriculture conference. It has become one of the biggest annual events in the country.
After a visit to the Irish Farmers Journal equivalent in Sweden, she planned and launched Irish Country Magazine as a high-quality standalone publication. It has won numerous awards and has become the largest selling women’s magazine in the country.
We are delighted that Mairead has agreed to remain on as part of the team and look forward to her valuable contributions.
Sterling fluctuation: protection measures needed
Sterling is back in dangerous territory for farmers in Ireland, at 91p to €1.
The impact exchange rates can have on prices is often not fully appreciated. With over 98% of our mushroom and 50% of our beef exports going to the UK, both sectors are very exposed. At an English beef price of £3.70kg, a 5p shift (from 85-90p) in sterling against the euro equates to a 25c/kg shift in Irish beef going into the UK.
As Brexit negotiations play out, further currency shocks are likely. It is incredible that the Government and EU appear content with leaving farmers and small businesses exposed without any safety net. While hedging is often seen as the solution, the reality is that many of these businesses are viewed by larger operators in the supply chain as their natural hedge, effectively passing the impact of currency down to the smaller operators.
It is not tenable for Government to continue to turn a blind eye – a currency protection mechanism needs to be introduced.
Animal health: time to get stock healthy before housing
Our Focus supplement this week deals with animal health. Protocols will have to be adjusted to reflect the impact of difficult summer grazing conditions. Cow condition score at housing will need to be monitored.
Now is the time for suckler farmers to be thinking about getting calves in top health ahead of the high-stress weaning period. Creep feeding and worm dosing should be priorities. Given the importance of animal health to farm profit, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Tommy Heffernan to our specialist team. Starting next week, Tommy will provide farmers with technical advice on what steps they can take to improve herd health in a bid to improve profitability, reduce antibiotic usage and maintain our high welfare standards.
Insurance: more competition yet prices keep rising
Elsewhere this week, Owen Cashman looks at the rising costs of insurance. There has probably never been more competition in the market and yet we see prices continuing to rise. While attention needs to be kept on the service providers, there is no doubt that the judicial system and the scale of the payouts awarded by judges need to be reviewed.
It is also important that insurance policies and the scope of cover reflects the changes taking place at farm level. With an increased reliance on non-family labour, employee liability is coming more to the fore and is not included as standard all-in polices.
It is critical that, regardless of provider, farmers fully understand what is covered in their policies and are confident that in the event of a claim, it is handled swiftly and fairly.
Read more
Autumn a high risk for animal health
What should you be paying for insurance?
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