Coveney ‘must assert his authority with meat factories over price cuts’

As the crisis in the beef sector continues, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has increased pressure on Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney ahead of his meeting today with meat-processing factories.

IFA national livestock committee chairman Henry Burns said the minister must assert his authority with the factories and demand that they respect their agreement with farmers on the price grid under the quality payment system.

“The minister must insist that the factories remove the unfair specifications cuts on dual pricing, weights, age and breeds that were never part of the quality payment system,” he said.