ICMSA says factories trim €80m off farmers in years since arrival of beef grid
The ICMSA has produced figures for the five years from 2011 to 2015, suggesting Irish farmers have seen huge reductions in meat factory prices.
The farmer group is now calling for the QPS beef grids to be independently reviewed.
ICMSA president John Comer said: “The grid was deliberately designed not to work in the interests of farmers. Even now, years after it was introduced, farmers and even factory agents have no certainty judging where cattle will ‘kill-out’ on the grid.
“On top of the €80m figure the grid has directly cost, farmers are aware of numerous other cuts that have been introduced such as those for over-30 month cattle, overweight cattle and the issues around numbers of movements, and quality assurance issues.”
Mr Comer noted that all these penalties were applied rigorously when cattle numbers were up but were, as he put it, “thrown out the window” when numbers were scarce and the factories were looking for cattle.
Mr Comer said the ICMSA’s data shows that while certain categories of animals have gained from the introduction of QPS, there was overall average loss to farmers of €15m per year for every year that the QPS grid had operated.
He said the research vindicated absolutely his organisation’s resistance to the introduction of the grid and his repeated calls — at the Beef Forum and on several other occasions — for an overhaul of the grid’s arbitrary and pointless specifications and deliberately over-complex structure.
Mr Comer said: “Despite a commitment given at the Beef Forum nearly two years ago and despite numerous requests from ICMSA to review the grid, the meat plants continue to ignore the widespread mistrust, lack of confidence and ongoing resentment around the grid.
“Those who championed this disaster of a grid must now concede that they were wrong and join ICMSA in demanding an immediate and through review.”
