ICSA slams quality beef ‘rip off’ up to 15p/lb

U GRADE cattle would have made up to 109p/lb if a pricing system to reward better quality cattle was introduced after the January 2000 beef factory blockades.

“Quality beef producers are sick of propping up the market for farmers producing O and P grade cattle”, said ICSA national president Charlie Reilly, after last week’s statement by the Irish Meat Association, which said that better quality cattle are cross-subsidising poorer quality cattle in the meat processing plants of IMA members.

According to ICSA (Irish Cattle and Sheepfarmers Association), U and R grade beef producers are ripped off to the tune of 15p/lb (42 cent per kg) and 3p/lb (8.4 cent per kg) respectively by factories.