Irish Examiner view: A real threat to Irish beef farms

Irish producers simply could not compete with the hormone-injected beef produced on America's vast feedlots.

Yesterday's budget contained measures designed to avert climate crisis but a Monday night vote in London's House of Commons may have a significant impact on Ireland's emissions and farm incomes. 

Despite a minor Tory revolt, an attempt to enshrine high food safety and animal husbandry practices in British law failed.

After several prominent backbench Tory MPs rebelled against the Johnson government to vote for amendments to an agriculture bill, critics of the proposal warned that weak laws will facilitate imports of sub-standard food, particularly from America, that will undercut British and European produce and hit farm viability. 

Opening that door would also expose consumers to unnecessary, market-driven risk. The bill also abandons food standard commitments made in the Tory election manifesto and is, sadly, yet another indication of the Conservatives' open-marriage relationship with integrity.

The UK is the biggest market for our food exports, accounting for €4.5bn of a total of €13.6bn. The beef sector is particularly reliant on the UK, where it sends more than half of all its produce. 

Should America's beef producers get access to the UK market, and the market-knows-best philosophy of Johnson's administration suggests it will, then Irish beef production will become even more challenging. 

Irish producers simply could not compete with the hormone-injected beef produced on America's vast feedlots.