ICOS warn against North cattle embargo

REPORTS that beef processors in the Six Counties are refusing to slaughter cattle raised in the South and exported to the North were described as extremely worrying yesterday.

ICOS National Marts Committee acting chairman Tom Doyle said this would serve to undermine cattle prices during the critical autumn sales period in livestock marts.

Traditionally, up to 20,000 weanlings and forward stores have been exported to the North in the last quarter of the year and northern dealers are normally strong buyers in livestock marts all over the country, particularly in western and border counties.

Beef plants in the North have reportedly instructed some suppliers not to continue to import southern cattle. In addition, it is believed there are several thousand southern cattle on farms in the North, for whom there is no apparent market. Mr Doyle said action must be taken to counteract this market failure. The situation had been brought about by British retailers discriminating against beef from cattle exported to Northern Ireland.

"Steps must be taken now to rescue this vitally important market for Irish cattle," he said.

ICOS explained that EU Beef labelling regulations, implemented since January of this year, require that all beef presented for sale must be clearly labelled with country of origin and, if animals are exported at any stage in their lives, the label must indicate the country of birth (Ireland), both countries of rearing (Ireland and UK) and the country of slaughter (UK).

A number of leading British retailers have refused to purchase beef from animals that have crossed the border, preferring to purchase beef that has only one country of origin - either wholly Irish or UK-produced.

According to ICOS, this development has prompted the northern processors to dramatically reduce the number of southern cattle that they handle.