IFA calls on Varadkar to defend €6.6bn beef trade

THE beef and livestock sector is the very heartbeat of rural Ireland and must be defended and secured in the face of major challenges.

IFA president Joe Healy, speaking at Tullamore Show, said the industry accounts for €6.6bn in overall output with an economic impact spread across every rural parish in the country.

However, he warned major challenges are facing the sector, ranging from Brexit, the Mercosur trade deal and Common Agricultural Policy reform to falling cattle prices and unacceptably low incomes for farmers.