Following a meeting with the UK Groceries Code Adjudicator Christine Tacon in London, IFA president Eddie Downey reiterated the association’s call for the Government here to implement hard-hitting legislation that will deliver a balanced, fair, transparent and efficient food supply chain.

Downey called on the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton, to replicate the UK Grocery Sector Code of Practice, including the appointment of an Independent Ombudsman, when publishing the promised legislation in this country.

Downey said: “Ms Tacon, who was appointed by the UK Government over a year ago, outlined her powers to investigate and protect those making anonymous complainants.

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‘‘The office of Groceries Code Adjudicator is funded by the UK’s top 10 retailers.

“The UK Grocery Code prohibits many unfair practices in the trade and ensures that the relevant retailers have compliance officers, who are trained to deal with customers for the purposes of the code,” he said.

“These compliance officers are the point of contact with the retailers for the adjudicator. If complaints are not resolved by the compliance officer, the adjudicator, under the code, has the power to bring the case to arbitration and impose penalties on retailers,” Downey concluded.

Meeting with Minister Deenihan

IFA president Eddie Downey has called on the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan to allow farmers who have suffered damage to their land as a result of the recent floods to carry out remedial works.

IFA and UFU meet on beef prices

IFA president Eddie Downey led an IFA delegation, including National Livestock Committee chairman Henry Burns in a meeting with the Ulster Farmers Union in Dublin where the current problems on beef prices and specifications, both north and south, were discussed.

General secretary at Donegal meeting

IFA general secretary Pat Smith attended the Donegal IFA county executive as the guest speaker. He said: “On rural development, IFA has secured an average of €580m per year from 2014 to 2020 for vital farm schemes, such as GLAS, Disadvantaged Areas and on-farm investment.”

Laois IFA dairy meeting

Laois IFA is holding a dairy meeting in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel on Monday 24 March at 8.30pm. Guest speakers on the night will include Sean O’Leary, chairman of IFA’s National Dairy Committee, and board members of Glanbia.

IFA and Tesco

At a meeting in London with Tesco, which is a major buyer of Irish beef for its British stores, IFA president Eddie Downey raised farmer concerns on livestock prices and specifications relating to the age of bulls and steers and weight limits. Tesco said it is committed to working with Irish farmers and processors to address the concerns.

Fertilizer prices

IFA inputs project team leader James McCarthy said that with fertilizer sales picking up in recent days, farmers should shop around before purchasing as significant savings can be achieved. Once again, IFA price surveys continue to show an enormous price gap between the highest and lowest quotes across the full range of products.