IFA turn their attention on CCPC

Following last week’s beef roundtable agreement on actions to address beef farmers’ concerns, IFA turned their attention this week on the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), staging a protest at their Dublin office on Tuesday.

IFA President Eddie Downey said the intervention by the Commission in the beef dispute greatly angered farmers, and convinced them the Commission is only interested in protecting big business that are denying farmers a fair return from the market.

He said processors have not passed back stronger beef prices in the UK market, and farmers are also hit by anti-competitive fuel and fertiliser structures which increased their input costs more than 50% since 2005, destroying the viability of many family farmers.