Farmers consider beet crop offer
The meetings have been called by the IFA Sugar Beet Section following a meeting with Greencore during which the company put a price offer on the table.
Peadar Jordan, chairman, said the company’s offer is for a total price of €36.85 per tonnes of beet at 16% sugar.
The company will impose a 20% reduction on the freight subsidy. Greencore will today issue a letter to each of its 3,700 growers outlining the full details of the offer and seeking their intention to grow a crop in 2006-2007. The company has already indicated that it will decide next month if it is to go ahead with another year of sugar processing in Mallow following the radical reform of the industry by the European Union.
The Midland Beet Growers Association, whose members have consistently claimed it would not be economically viable for them to grow beet and transport it to Mallow, were meeting in Carlow last night.
Growers living nearer the factory or a collection depot have indicated their willingness to consider growing a crop again this year provided the price was right and other issues were resolved.
The first in the series of IFA meetings will take place at Lawlor’s Hotel in Dungarvan, Co Waterford tonight. Others will follow next week at Silver Springs Hotel Cork (Monday); Horse and Hound, Balinaboola, Co Wexford (Tuesday); Abbeyleix Manor Hotel, Abbeyleix, Co Laois, (Wednesday); Talbot Hotel, Carlow (Thursday); and the Anner Hotel, Thurles, (Friday).
Meanwhile, Mallow Development Partnership chairman John McDonnell warned that speculation that a decision to close the sugar factory had already been taken is very damaging.
“It does nothing for the morale of the workforce and indeed the growers, many of whom wish to continue growing sugar beet.
“While it may be in the interest of some groups to maximise compensation leading to the factory closure, there are many more people whose livelihoods are at serious risk and also have no alternative except the dole queues if such a decision is made,” he said.
Cork East Dáil deputy Joe Sherlock said the EU sugar reform decision by the Council of Ministers gives no solace to beet growers and workers who want to keep production going for as long as the market would allow.
“There is an overriding sense of pessimism that the minister (Mary Coughlan) has not done her best to keep the industry alive and has pandered to the wishes of the hierarchy of the IFA,” he said.
:
Beet: 1.3 million tonnes.
Sugar: 199,000 tonnes.
Growers 3,700.
Employees: 250.
Crop value: 80m.
Industry value: 140m.
