Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed needs to attend the first meeting of the Beef Market Taskforce, which takes place on Tuesday, IFA president Joe Healy has said.

Healy said that an increase in cattle prices must be top of the agenda at the meeting.

He said cattle prices are rising in all our main markets, with UK prices up again last week. He said the Bord Bia beef price index clearly shows that beef market returns have increased and are continuing to rise, while Irish factories are holding back on price increases.

We need to see real progress on the independent review of market and customer requirements

The IFA will be pushing hard for progress on the other issues, he said.

“We need to see real progress on the independent review of market and customer requirements, specifically in relation to the four in-spec bonus criteria currently in operation in the Irish beef sector.

“The independent examination of the price composition of the total value of the animal, including the fifth quarter, along the supply chain needs to be progressed,” he said.

Meeting

The taskforce will meet at Agriculture House, the Department of Agriculture headquarters, on Tuesday morning.

It will be the first meeting of the taskforce, which was postponed from the original meeting date of 14 October as a result of protests on the day.

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