Vegetable growers have warned of an exodus from the horticultural sector, should supermarkets fail to compensate farmers for the recent sharp increase in the costs of production.

The warning was issued at an IFA growers’ meeting last Thursday where the actions that could be taken to relieve the income crisis facing growers were discussed.

The current number of growers has fallen to 100, down from 400 in 1998, the IFA has said.

The establishment of a food regulator, well-equipped with statutory powers, would be welcomed by the sector and may help ease the pressure placed on farmers by supermarkets, IFA president Tim Cullinan said.

Following a unanimous decision at the meeting, Cullinan was granted a mandate to take “whatever action is necessary” to secure higher prices for vegetable growers.

Meeting

Cullinan told the Irish Farmers Journal that he believes meeting with retailers is the first item on his agenda for resolving the issue.

Protest action has not been ruled out by the IFA, should talks fail.

Many attendees who spoke with the Irish Farmers Journal said they had been unwilling to take demonstrative action on the retailer price issue, for fear that contracts would be dropped or negotiating terms lowered.

Farmer views

Eddie Doyle: potato, swede and turnip grower, Kilkenny

“As we have seen this week, three of the biggest growers in the country have exited the business – they are probably the clever ones exiting.

“We have skipped along from one crisis to another and we have run down our assets to such a point that we can no longer invest and we are facing massive increases in our input costs.

“We will have to consider our position and do the very same thing because there is no future in losing money and having to pay staff – it is not fair to the staff or to the business.”

Vegetable farmer supplying supermarkets

“Growers are genuinely fearful of speaking out. If you turn up at a protest or put your name next to something that the retailers do not like, they will remember that when sitting down one-one-one to negotiate your next contract.

“The retailers want to promote our pictures in their shops but the real story is they are masters of spin.

“No one is calling out the supermarkets on the economic and environmental damage this is doing.

“Bord Bia has signed up these supermarkets to Origin Green – why are they not getting involved here? The practice of below-cost selling is illegal in Germany, so why is it not here?

“A lot of people are fearful for their future in this sector. They have not got the confidence to reinvest into their business and this will be catastrophic in the long term.”

Young vegetable grower

“There would be no fresh produce grown if it was not for the growers in this room. They would not be here if they were not in crisis.

“No other industry faces decisions like this every year.

“You get in business and then you are fighting to stay in business every single season.

“We need to get a fair price for what is produced – supermarkets need to realise what they are doing. Supermarkets have been taking fresh produce for granted – buyers have just come to expect it.”