All-Ireland farm groups to discuss joint strategy on meat factories
The Northern group Farmers For Action has sent invitations to the IFA, the ICMSA, ICSA and other farm groups. The Farmers For Action’s move follows a meeting in Dublin earlier this week of the IFA and the Ulster Farmers Union.
Farmers For Action’s William Taylor said the time has come for Northern and Southern farmer groups to get around the table to develop a shared approach to negotiations with processors on both sides of the border.
Mr Taylor said: “It is our duty as farm organisations to deliver fairness on beef and lamb at the farm gate immediately, given that so many of our family farmers now being pushed to the brink.”
Meanwhile, several key shared areas of shared interest emerged from this week’s meeting of the IFA and Ulster Farmers Union. The talks focused on beef prices and the meat factories’ specifications.
Both groups agreed that the recent factory beef price cuts and specification changes were seriously eroding confidence in the beef sector on the island and had inflicted excessive financial damage on winter finishers.
IFA president Eddie Downey led a delegation with national livestock chairman Henry Burns. The Ulster Farmers Union was represented by their president Harry Sinclair, deputy president Ian Marshall and chief executive Clarke Black.
Eddie Downey said: “Both processors and retailers North and South have to understand the grass-based production systems in Ireland and the smaller family farming structure, and appreciate that cattle have to move from breeding to weaning to fattening farms.
“This essential movement is efficiently facilitated in an open and competitive fashion through livestock marts all across the island.”
Mr Downey also said that adjustments need to be made to the current in-spec requirement of four farm residences in the South in order to better accommodate the sale and movements of animals. The final residency requirement must be adjusted to accommodate the sale of finished cattle through the marts, he said.
The IFA president also proposed that the current 30-month age limit on steers and heifers be adjusted upwards to 36 months. He said the 30-month age limit was outdated and no longer appropriate, and this move would provide important flexibility to producers.
In relation to the optimum age for young bull sales, the UK practice is 16 months of age, but the IFA says this system does not suit the grass-based production in southern Ireland. Bulls aged 18 to 24 months were much more suited to southern Irish conditions and European markets, where half of all Irish exports go, said Mr Downey.
The IFA president said processor moves to impose uneconomic weight penalties were unacceptable and would inflict further pressure on Ireland’s Continental breed suckler cow herd.
Eddie Downey briefed the Ulster Farmers Union on the IFA campaign to reduce the price gap between Irish cattle prices and those in the main export market in the UK.
The IFA is insisting that Minister Coveney takes action on price competition and removes the blockages restricting the operation of the single market with the live export trade of cattle to Northern Ireland and UK.
“IFA is insisting that Mr Coveney and Bord Bia go directly to meet their counterparts in Northern Ireland and Great Britain as well as the key retail groups to make progress on this major issue,” said Mr Downey.
UFU president Harry Sinclair said that Northern farmers are also finding the market very difficult at present, with Northern beef prices have dropped considerably in recent weeks.
