Frustration over lack of progress in beef forum

The ICSA said it took the opportunity to put beef and sheep issues firmly back on the agenda at a hearing of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine this week.

But ownership of feedlots by factories was cited as one of the main issues when the farmers came to analyse the progress achieved by the beef forum.

At the meeting, ICSA president Patrick Kent set out the challenges facing the beef and sheep sectors, warning that the difficulties in the dairy sector cannot deflect attention from the long term difficulties of beef.

Referring to the proposed Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP), Mr Kent made it clear that the beef industry is vulnerable with beef coming under threat with several bi-lateral trade talks in progress.

A recent impact analysis on TTIP concluded that beef was the likely loser whereas dairy might gain.

“ICSA is very concerned that the cumulative impact of potential deals with Canada, USA, Australia/New Zealand along with the ever present threat of South-American beef leaves Irish farming in a very vulnerable position”.

Mr Kent then went on to criticise the inequities in the food chain. “The finances of every farmer are very transparent but we know nothing of the margins made by multinational retailers when it comes to key products such as beef and lamb. We have over regulation of farmers but hardly any regulation further down the chain”.

He called for the setting up of a European authority to investigate who gets what from the food chain. He also called for greater scrutiny of the processing sector referring specifically to angel of neck cut and level of trimmings of the carcass.