Meat factory managers hopeful of averting escalation in vet strikes

MEAT factory managers are hopeful that a Department of Agriculture intervention can help avert any escalation of the industrial action currently being taken by Ireland’s veterinarians.

Department officials have contacted the vets’ union, Veterinary Ireland, with a meeting likely to take place early next week.

The union’s members began a limited work-to-rule action this week due to the department’s plans to replace temporary veterinary inspectors with factory operatives to undertake BSE testing, and technical agricultural officers to undertake postmortem meat inspections in Irish meat plants.

The department is seeking to reduce the estimated €32 million annual cost of meat plant inspections.

There are an estimated 600 part-time vets earning around €68 per hour from temporary veterinary inspections, which totals €18m per year.

One source suggested this change in inspections could save €5m per annum. The measure is just one element of €56m in savings projected in the budget under food safety (and public health), animal health and welfare, and plant health.

Meat factory managers contacted by the Irish Examiner yesterday said the vets’ actions have so far been benevolent, taking place as the plants are winding down for Christmas. Nonetheless, they said they hoped the matter can be resolved before the break so business in the New Year will not be disrupted.

Veterinary Ireland chief executive Finbarr Murphy said the department’s plans were a concern: “Ireland is the third largest beef exporting country in the world and as a country, we should there-fore do all in our power to maintain our very high standards of veterinary-based meat inspections.”

Ireland exports over €1.5 billion worth of beef a year, while a further expansion of these exports is being targeted under the Food Harvest 2020 plans.

“Ireland has earned a reputation as a high quality meat exporter. Our reputation is based on our ability to export extremely high quality meat, and that needs to be underpinned by the highest possible quality of meat inspection,” Mr Murphy said.

The cattle farmer group ICSA has criticised the Government’s move on two counts — that it will lead to a reduction in meat inspection standards, and that it will not deliver the anticipated level of savings.

ICSA president Gabriel Gilmartin said: “It is vital to reduce the overall operational costs of running a farm and central to this is the cost of vets; however, ICSA is not convinced that replacing part-time vets with full-time department officials is the most prudent way of generating savings.

“The department needs to spell out how keeping on extra full-time officials will lead to lower costs at a time when government policy is to reduce public sector numbers. It is also necessary to be mindful that factory work supports the viability of large animal practices that in turn are providing a competitive service to farming.”

The ICSA and other farming groups have also noted that the department has not specified the numbers of agricultural officers that it intends to train.

The ICMSA said that its priority will be to ensure that this change does not result in its members facing any extra charges.