Scots turn on Irish

SCOTTISH farmers have turned on Irish beef exporters, as the beef cattle market slump in the UK and Ireland continues.

National Farmers’ Union Scotland (NFUS) President John Kinnaird said: “Domestic beef has moved onto the UK market earlier since the subsidy rules changed and Irish beef, originally destined for the Russian market, is now entering the UK as well.”

But Stuart Ashworth, of the Quality Meat Scotland marketing organisation, said exports from the Irish Republic were down by 6% this year.

He agreed with Mr Kinnaird that South American imported beef was certainly an important factor, but felt that the quantities were not huge, and were actually less than in 2004.

But the tonnage is still big enough to have a destabilising effect on the UK market, he said.