'Discounting and degrading' of food 'must be stopped' as loss of growers continues

IFA deputy president Brian Rushe said this week that unless there is change, "the reality is that our sector will continue to contract, resulting in the loss of family farms".

With Teagasc estimating that the area of field vegetables will contract by a minimum of 7% this year, Mr Rushe said that the challnenges facing the horticultural industry are "multi-factorial".

Farmers have said the "discounting and degrading" of food "must be stopped" as they have urged for "legal protection" for their economic sustainability.

The Irish Farmers' Association raised concern this week over the number of field vegetable growers in Ireland dwindling - falling from 377 in 1999, to 165 in 2014, to an estimated 100 now.