Irish and French unite to reject beef proposals

FRENCH and Irish farm leaders have come together to outline their strong opposition to the Fischler mid-term review proposals on beef.

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and the French Federation Nationale Bovine (FNB) said they were particularly concerned about decoupling in the livestock sector.

In a joint statement, following a meeting in Dublin, both bodies claimed decoupling would severely damage suckler beef production in Ireland and France. IFA president John Dillon said he was very encouraged by the strength of FNB opposition to the Fischler proposals in France.