Simon Coveney could act as regulator for the beef industry

I refer to your editorial (August 23, The price of beef) and strongly disagree that the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney can do nothing about it. Mr Coveney has a central role to play in the beef sector.

Livestock farmers are extremely angry and frustrated over how their incomes have been decimated by price and specification cuts imposed by retailers and factories. Farmers feel betrayed by the unacceptable behaviour and lack of corporate responsibility on the part of the powerful retailers and meat factories to their farmer suppliers. Teagasc has confirmed that livestock farmers’ incomes were down by 13% to 22% last year, at extremely low levels from €9,469 to €15,595.

The way Minister Coveney has stood back on the beef crisis is totally unacceptable. The vacuum left by the minister has allowed the factories and supermarkets run amok imposing loss making prices and specification cuts and severely damaging incomes.