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.

You refer to Minister Coveney explaining that the main reason for lower cattle prices was an increase in the number of cattle slaughtered by 12.5%. This is true. Cattle disposals are up 110,000 animals to date this year. However, the source of the increase is the minister’s own Food Harvest 2020 plan, which proposed to increase production by 25% and output by 40%.

As the minister for agriculture, farmers expect Minister Coveney to take a much more hands-on approach in tackling the issues that are negatively impacting on their incomes. It is the minister’s job to ensure that there is strong competition and transparency in the sector.

It is the minister’s job to ensure that there is a strong live export trade, vital for competition.

It is the minister’s job with Bord Bia and the meat processors to fight back against the unfair specification cut.

It is the minister’s job to assert his authority with the factories and demand they respect the agreement they made under the quality payment system. Minister Coveney is not powerless, he can act as the regulator for the industry. After all, he provides each factory with a licence to operate every week.

It is the minister’s job to secure market access and to remove the roadblocks impeding the live export trade to our nearest market in Northern Ireland. It is the minister’s job to deliver the CAP direct payments on October 16 and ensure full funding in the budget to provide for a GLAS payment for 30,000 farmers.

Henry Burns

IFA national livestock chairman

Drinagh

Mountmellick

Co Laois