Get behind Irish beef brand, IFA tells Coveney and O’Neill

IFA President Eddie Downey has called on Irish Agriculture Ministers Simon Coveney and Michelle O’Neill to support branding solutions for beef from southern cattle finished in the North – which have been approved by the Department of Agriculture in the North, but not by UK supermarkets.

In the south, he said Mr Coveney must demand processors respect the Quality Payment System price grid agreement they entered into with farmers, and remove unfair specifications on dual pricing, weights, age and breeds, that were never part of the QPS.

The farmers’ leader warned that viably priced contracts are essential, especially for higher cost winter finishing and bull beef systems.

He said it’s time Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, Bord Bia, and meat processors fought back against retailer beef specification cuts.

Cattle farmers expect Mr Coveney to take a much more hands-on approach in tackling these and other beef issues, said downey after an IFA meeting in Navan on Tuesday.