Better beef supply chain signals urged

Better communication of market trends and signals along the beef supply chain has been urged by Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney.

“An industry-led solution to clear the backlog of bull beef is essential to restoring confidence in the sector and will hopefully resolve the current difficulties for farmers,” said Mr Coveney last week.

He said cattle supplies at meat plants to the end of January were up almost 10% compared to 2012, with strong increases in steer, heifer, and cull cow categories.