IFA: Pay farmers for quality lamb

SHEEP farmers must be properly rewarded by meat factories for producing quality lamb, according to the IFA.

Sheep Committee chairman Henry Burns said farmers would respond positively to market signals if the factories put the right incentive in place in terms of a strong price reward.

Most farmers are selling lamb on a flat-rate basis and not getting rewarded for producing quality. This is because factories do not pay for quality and farmers have no confidence in factory graders.

“A first requirement for a quality-based payment system is that the grading must change. Mechanical classification is essential. Farmers must have confidence that the grading system is objective,” he said.

Mr Burns said the price structure proposed by the meat plants was too biased in favour of the factories and against quality production.

“The weight restrictions are too tight and the penalties too severe.

“Farmers are not interested in providing factories with free kilos of lamb to sell on to supermarkets on our highest priced market at home,” he said.

Mr Burns said the factories would have to change their thinking on lamb prices to guarantee a supply.

Prices would have to rise to viable levels.

He said the Department of Agriculture and Food was making good progress in the introduction of full price transparency for lamb.

Since May 2006, the department had carried out 54 inspections and was reporting over 90% compliance, he said.