The IFA is staging a sit-in at the Department of Agriculture offices in Dublin, until the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed names the factories fined for excessive carcase trim.
Some 21 cases of excessive carcase trim have been revealed this year and IFA president Joe Healy has called the Minister’s response “pathetic” and accused him of a cover-up that “must be exposed”.
IFA livestock chair Angus Woods said that a monthly name-and-shame list of factories must be set up.
Angus Woods, chair of @IFAmedia livestock committee, leads a sit-in protest at the Department of Agriculture’s head office. pic.twitter.com/STooQd0gJm
— Farmers Journal (@farmersjournal) December 12, 2018
“It is the Minister's responsibility to ensure that farmers are paid the full value for their stock and this means that the carcase classification, carcase trim and weights must be 100% accurate all of the time,” he said.
He added that a new inspection process was needed in factories.
Live exports
In addition, the IFA has said that restrictions proposed by the EU Commission on live exports could be devastating and has called for the Minister to step in.
“The Minister must face down the EU bureaucrats and tell them that this change will not be accepted by Ireland," said Joe Healy.
"As an island nation, we already have additional challenges to get cattle to the continent."
New regulations would cut the assembly period for exporters from 29 days to 14 days and Healy said that the changes must be rejected.
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