Farmers hail 'constructive' talks with Dunnes Stores on price increases for suppliers
Jim Moore, Kilbrittain, Cork and William Shortall, IFA, South Tippeary heading home after farmers ended their protest at Dunnes Stores, Bishopstown, Cork and both sides entered into talks in Dublin on Tuesday afternoon. Picture Dan Linehan
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) had a "constructive" meeting with Dunnes Stores tonight to discuss price increases to suppliers and to address rising costs at farm level in what has been described as "a breakthrough".
A number of proposals were put by the farmers' body to Dunnes Stores and they have committed to come back shortly with a detailed response, it said.
The IFA commenced protests at Dunnes Stores in Bishopstown Court, Cork and Monaghan on Monday morning in an attempt to highlight the need for increased farmer returns.
IFA President Tim Cullinan had said it was very disappointing that Dunnes Stores had ignored IFA’s request for a meeting on the matter.
However, following an overnight protest, on Tuesday morning, the IFA and the retailer agreed to meet.
Nigel Sweetman, IFA poultry chairman said that while there has been “very positive engagement, and acceptance that we need a price increase” by retailers, the campaign will continue.
“The next fight will be with the processors,” he said.
Following the IFA's meeting with Dunnes Stores, Mr Sweetman said that the retailer acknowledged that input costs for farmers have increased significantly.
The two parties discussed "how to channel a portion of a price increase back to the farmer".
"The biggest problem is: how do you ringfence that price increase back to the producer?"
With "a line of communication" now open with the retailer, Mr Sweetman said that Dunnes Stores has agreed to further engagement in the near future.
The IFA said that "progress was definitely made" at the meeting.
Tom Sherman, who runs a family pig farm near Mallow, said that things had come to a “boiling point”.
“This argument hasn’t started today or yesterday, its going on years and years and years and it has come to a boiling point, and it has to be sorted out," he said.
The IFA has also reiterated its call for the introduction of a “long-promised” food ombudsman.
Mr Cullinan said that this “Government inaction” on retail legislation has “left farmers without any power in the food chain”.
“Unless we have robust regulation of these retailers, we will see more and more farmers going to the wall," he said.
A spokesman for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine told the Irish Examiner that the Government is “committed to ensuring fairness, equity, and transparency in the food chain”.
The Programme for Government commits to the establishment of a new office to enforce the Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Directive and to have a specific role in analysis and reporting on price and market data.
The spokesman said that work is “well advanced” with the Unfair Trading Practices Regulations transposing the UTP Directive into Irish law in April 2021.
A UTP enforcement authority was established as an interim measure in the Department of Agriculture, pending the finalisation of the primary legislation to establish the new office.
“The general scheme of the bill for establishing the new office is at an advanced stage and it is hoped that it can be submitted shortly for government approval to commence the detailed drafting of the bill,” the spokesman said.
“In the interim, the UTP enforcement authority currently has all the necessary powers to investigate complaints against unfair trading practices included in the regulations.
“Any supplier that has been subjected to any of the unfair trading practices covered in the regulations can contact the enforcement authority in strict confidence."
