Farmers ‘need to grasp market power’

MARKET power is the biggest issue facing farmers, it was claimed at an awards ceremony in Limerick.

Macra na Feirme president Colm Markey said this was particularly so in a world where the retail giant WalMart’s annual turnover is six times that of Ireland’s gross domestic product.

He made the claim after Eddie O’Donnell, 23, a dairy and beef farmer from Golden, Co Tipperary, was named the 2006 FBD Young Farmer of the Future in a national competition organised by Macra in partnership with the IFA.