Time to act against cowboys in food sector
With great justification, Bord Bia clearly took immense pride from and considerable credit for this very impressive export performance.
As a country we are badly in need of such good news stories amid all of the gloom in which we have been enveloped over the past five years. Alas, the satisfaction with the performance has proved short-lived as the Irish food industry has become embroiled in the farcical horse meat controversy, and unfortunately it is continuing to rumble on.
More than any other area of economic activity, both in terms of the domestic market and export markets, reputation and confidence in the product are absolutely essential in the food industry. Domestic consumer confidence in what we eat has been tarnished by recent revelations, and it remains to be seen what sort of impact the farce will have on the reputation of Ireland as a food-producing and food- exporting nation. The descriptions of the blocks of frozen meat that have been imported from Poland are nauseating for anybody with a weak stomach.
One of the key questions that remain to be answered is why this rubbish has been imported in the first place. Surely, there is enough beef of varying qualities produced in this country to satisfy the requirements of the manufacturers of both cheap and high-quality burgers and other food products? One clue to answering this question might relate to the pressure retailers are putting on producers to produce cheap food products.
It is reported that some of the suspect burgers were being bought from producers at a price of around 8 cent and sold to the consumer for 20 cent. How any producer could produce a beef burger for 8 cent is beyond comprehension. Hence, the decision to import unsafe rubbish from Poland. This is not to suggest that all of the fault lies with the powerful retail multiples. If burger producers could not produce the burger profitably using reasonable quality beef and other non-meat ingredients, then they should not have accepted the contract in the first place.
A quick perusal of recent consumer price statistics in this country throws up some very interesting findings. Between Jan 2005 and Dec 2012, overall consumer prices in the economy increased by 14.4%. Over the same period, the price paid for meat in general fell by 2.7%.
Consumers and retailers have to recognise that if you want food of an acceptable quality, then the producers and manufacturers will have to be paid an acceptable price. If an acceptable price is not forthcoming, then the quality will inevitably suffer. A cheap food policy is not a good idea and is potentially injurious to human health. In recent weeks we have constantly heard various interests argue that the current scandal has no negative implications for human health.
That may be case, although I am far from convinced, but the bigger issue is if horse can find its way into a beef burger, what else might find its way in?
This is all very depressing for the primary producers. At the moment many farmers are in the middle of the calving season and are working 24-hour days in very tough conditions. It is very depressing for those hard-working farmers to realise that the activities of cowboys in the meat industry may be doing serious damage to the price they might ultimately get for their beef.
It is imperative that hard action is taken by the forces of law and order to weed out the culprits and make sure they play no further part in our food industry. If correct actions are taken, the Irish food industry could actually emerge with a stronger reputation. The ball is now in our court.
