IFA ‘committed to securing sugar beet growers’ viability’
IFA Sugar Beet Section chairman Jim O’Regan said it is up to Greencore to provide whatever facilities are necessary to ensure that existing growers supplying beet to Carlow are at no disadvantage as a result of the company’s unilateral decision to move all beet processing to Mallow.
“The focus is now on the logistics of getting beet from the Carlow factory area to the Mallow factory both by rail and by road at no extra cost to beet growers,” said Mr O’Regan, as beet growers from around the country met in Carlow to discuss the issues.
Meanwhile, Irish Sugar said it had received calls from a substantial number of growers expressing positive support for its ‘rationalising to survive’ programme. It said its field service team will be actively meeting growers over the coming weeks, particularly those who supplied beet to the Carlow factory. It will facilitate any inquiries that growers may have in relation to the transition to a one-factory processing campaign.
In addition, the company is also establishing a dedicated phone line to collate queries from growers. It will continue to work actively with growers’ representatives to ensure the smooth transition to single site processing. Irish Sugar said it will write to individual growers outlining which transport option will be applicable to them for the 2005 campaign and provide more detail on the queries raised by growers to date.
Meanwhile, Brian Crowley, Fianna Fail MEP for Ireland South, predicted during a visit to Mallow that a better deal for growers and workers in the Irish sugar industry can be secured at European level. He was confident sufficient support exists in Europe to ensure the €140m turnover industry has an opportunity to continue to grow.
“I believe we can have, if not a majority, definitely a blocking minority at the European level to get a better deal for the growers and for the workers.
“By a better deal I don’t mean greater compensation. I mean continuing production and jobs,” he said.
