Irish Beef in 'Deepening' Crisis
IRELAND – Further government intervention is needed urgently to address Ireland’s worsening beef crisis, says an industry spokesman.
17 June 2014
1 minute read
According to James Reynolds of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA), the efforts of Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney have not been sufficient in getting beef processors engaging with the supply chain.
Store cattle and weanling calf markets were highlighted as areas for concern last week by Mr Reynolds.
He said that processors are ‘continuing to drive down beef prices to unsustainable levels’.
This comes despite a Beef Round Table for all stakeholders, which the ICSA says has yielded no positive results.
"Beef processors, while participating in the talks, have refused to actively engage with beef producers," said Mr Reynolds.
He also expressed concern over confusion on farm standards labelling.
He said: “There is a complete lack of transparency around the percentage of animals that actually qualify for the quality assurance bonus.
“The restrictions on cattle movements and residency periods are also a device to undermine price by limiting competition at marts."
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