The Beef Plan Movement has written to the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed accusing him of trying to “thwart and frustrate” their actions by making comments they feel are “divergence tactics”. The letter is in response to comments made by the minister through his spokesperson stating that he could not intervene between processors and farmers on the issue of beef prices.
The Beef Plan Movement has written to the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed accusing him of trying to “thwart and frustrate” their actions by making comments they feel are “divergence tactics”.
The letter is in response to comments made by the minister through his spokesperson stating that he could not intervene between processors and farmers on the issue of beef prices.
The price paid between a farmer and a processor is a private matter
“For the avoidance of doubt we contest in the strongest possible terms that we have not on this occasion, or any occasion, asked you or your department to have any role in determining the price per kg for beef,” the letter, written by Beef Plan representative Eoin Donnelly reads.
“The price paid between a farmer and a processor is a private matter between those two parties in the course of doing business together.”
They added that they “strongly contest” whether the Department of Agriculture is best positioned “to provide independent insight into the policy and technical issues that we feel need to be addressed in the beef industry and consider discussions on price by you to be a divergency tactic to avoid dealing with the problems as we see them in the beef industry”.
Meat Industry Ireland
Donnelly also raised the issue of engagement from Meat Industry Ireland (MII).
“In the context that MII has said that it is always prepared to engage with stakeholders on policy or technical issues impacting on the sector we are at a loss to understand why no such policy or technical issues are being put forward for discussion,” Donnelly wrote.
He concluded by writing that the Beef Plan was available to talk but that protests would continue until “satisfactory progress” was made in resolving the issues in the beef industry.
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