IFA: Obstacles must not interfere with flow of live cattle to Britain

ANY obstacles being put in front of the live cattle trade to Britain must be removed and the market must be allowed to flow.

That’s the view of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) which claimed there is a major potential for live exports to Britain.

Livestock Committee chairman Michael Doran said the live trade was very active this year with close on 200,000 cattle exported to date.

He said exports of live cattle to Britain had already commenced with more than 4,000 head shipped to date. In addition, more than 46,000 head of livestock had been exported to the North.

Mr Doran said he had met with the National Farmers Union, cattle finishers and key supermarket groups in Britain on importing cattle from Ireland.

He said it is clear cattle feeders in Britain want Irish weanlings and store cattle. There is an abundance of quality cattle available here for export.

Mr Doran said the economics of exporting live cattle to Britain are right with cattle prices there €100 to €150 above Irish levels.

He said a group from the British midlands visited his farm and a number of other locations in Ireland in June and were extremely impressed with the quality of stock available.

Mr Doran said the IFA had also met with Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith and had pursued the issue with the Department of Agriculture and An Bord Bia.

“Talking to cattle finishers in Britain, it is clear that they see tremendous value in continental cross cattle from our suckler herd,” he said, stressing that live exports are essential to cattle price competition.

Meat Industry Ireland has warned, however, that the increasing level of live exports could put processing plants and jobs at risk.

It 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.