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In the last week the recent beef protests in the Republic of Ireland have started to have an impact on the availability of beef in the UK.
In a normal situation, that level of disruption to a long-established major supplier to the UK should force on prices in the British market.
The fact that there has been limited upward movement so far just reinforces the argument that the market has been over-supplied for much of 2019.
But the big unknown in all of this is what happens to the backlog of finished cattle building in Ireland
However, with large kills in NI last week, and again this week, it points to a tighter supply later this year, and perhaps only then will prices return to more sustainable levels.
But the big unknown in all of this is what happens to the backlog of finished cattle building in Ireland.
If that beef is pushed on to the UK market later this year, it has the potential to severely undermine the entire trade.
The pressure should also be put on government that it must be ready to act in the short term to stabilise incomes going to NI beef farmers
Hopefully that won’t happen, but now is the time to put contingency plans in place. Our NI farming organisations, along with representatives from the marts and the local meat plants need to get their heads together and urge retailers and wholesalers to do more to promote beef.
The pressure should also be put on government that it must be ready to act in the short term to stabilise incomes going to NI beef farmers.
What must not be allowed to happen is that we get to a situation, as in the Republic of Ireland, where farmers feel they are left with no option but to go and stand outside factory gates. That would represent a complete failure of leadership among everyone concerned.
For the longer term, the NI industry needs a coherent plan that ultimately means it is not just processors and retailers who cover their costs and take a margin.
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