IFA accuses meat factories of trying to damage live export trade

MEAT factories have been accused by farmers of trying to damage the live export trade, which has grown dramatically since the start of the year.

Some 185,761 cattle have been exported so far in 2009, with predictions that the total for the full year could rise to 250,000 head.

Meat Industry Ireland (MII) warned earlier this week that the increasing level of live exports could put processing plants and jobs at risk.

Director Cormac Healy said meat processors, who had invested in technology and jobs, believed the best future for the food industry here was to have Irish plants processing Irish animals for the international markets.

But yesterday the Irish Farmers Association told the factories to make a better job of returning viable prices to farmers and keep their hands off the live trade.

Livestock Committee chairman Michael Doran said farmers know the real agenda of the factories is to shut down the live export trade and stifle competition.

“A strong live export trade is essential for cattle price competition. Live exports are one of the few positive aspects of farming this year,” he said.

Claiming that MII and factory concerns about the live export trade have no credibility, Mr Doran said the factories can’t have it both ways.

On the one hand they complain of losing numbers to the live trade and on the other they were telling farmers for the last four months they were unable to sell the number of cattle they were getting.

Only recently MII told the IFA that factories had a big problem selling 29,000 cattle a week and as a result the prices they were paying came back by 6c/kg for six weeks in a row, amounting to a price cut of €125 per animal during June and July.

Mr Doran said one of the major reasons why the live export trade is very active is the failure of the meat factories to pay Irish farmers beef prices equivalent to what is available in our main export markets in Britain and across Europe.

He said this year more than 40,000 Irish cattle have been exported to Northern Ireland, of which more than 20,000 went for direct slaughter because the factories in the north are paying more than those in the south, despite the fact that the beef is being exported to the same market in Britain.

Live animals are also being exported to both Italy and Spain because cattle prices in these markets are 200 to 280 per head more than the factories are paying for cattle in Ireland.