Senior director for MII Cormac Healy. \ Dave Ruffles
The initial findings of an evaluation of the Irish beef sector in a report by Grant Thornton has shown that farmers receive 80% of total sales revenue earned by processors, Meat Industry Ireland (MII) has said.
These findings were presented at Tuesday’s beef taskforce meeting and were welcomed by MII members “for exposing the false claims made during the 2019 beef blockades.”
“During the 2019 illegal blockades, false assertions were made and prominently circulated that farmers only get €2 for every €10 spent on beef by a consumer,” an MII spokesperson said.
“The report was commissioned by the Government in the aftermath of the blockades, which crippled the industry for almost eight weeks and undermined the sector’s reputation.”
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue is understood to be unhappy with the way beef price cuts were communicated.
The Minister told the
Farming Independent that the relationship between farmers and processors needs to improve, and he wants the Beef Taskforce to ramp up its efforts in the weeks ahead.
“I am committed to bringing greater transparency to the food chain as a way building trust between farmers and processors through the establishment of a Food Ombudsman office this year.
“Farmers need greater transparency and clarity on market trends and dynamics,” said Minister McConalogue.
“The Food Ombudsman is expected to build on the work started by the Beef Taskforce to achieve this for farmers.”
The meat industry has been challenged to explain how their transport and related costs could have increased by 40pc due to a combination of Brexit and Covid-19.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is “currently taking a two-step approach” in the establishment of the office of a National Food Ombudsman, according to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue.
Speaking at the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) online annual general meeting today (Thursday, January 28), the minister highlighted that the EU’s Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Directive must be transposed by May 1, 2021.
Noting that the current Programme for Government included the commitment to establish a National Food Ombudsman to enforce the UTP Directive “and to have a specific role in analysing and reporting on price and market data in Ireland”, Minister McConalogue said:
Charlie McConalogue, the Coalition s third agriculture minister in seven months, is not one for soundbites, controversy or provoking rows within his own party.