Factories accused of ‘bluffing’ on beef prices

The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) Beef chairman John Cleary criticised the re-introduction of grid-based beef pricing by processors

Livestock Committee chairman, Michael O’Connell, said factories are attempting to pressure farmers into selling cattle early by spreading negative messages about market conditions. File photo: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

The ICMSA has dismissed warnings from beef processors about a pending collapse in beef prices as “bluff tactics" driven by “sheer desperation”. 

Livestock Committee chairman, Michael O’Connell, said factories are attempting to pressure farmers into selling cattle early by spreading negative messages about market conditions.