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The ongoing beef protests are a huge cause of concern for Tánaiste Simon Coveney, who fears that the power of a united farm lobby will be diluted as farmers join rival splinter groups.
Speaking exclusively to the Irish Farmers Journal on the issue, Tánaiste Coveney said: “I’m really worried about it. I think I know the farming community pretty well.
“I care passionately about agriculture in Ireland and want to see its future as a thriving one and a profitable growing one.
“I know that many people who are picketing and protesting today and that have been for the last number of weeks have been driven to this by utter frustration and despair because they’ve been losing money hand over fist in terms of their beef business.
“I’m also worried about the impact this is having on the capacity to actually get solutions that everyone can live with and move forward on.
“Ultimately we need to be around a table here.”
Roundtable talks
Earlier this week, Meat Industry Ireland pulled out of talks with farmers groups and Minister Michael Creed expressed his disappointment at the current state of the situation.
Coveney sympathises with farmers, but said he feels something needed to be done to get industry representitives back around a table.
“I don’t want to make excuses for low prices but I do want to say to farmers that we are going to have to find a way forward here on the basis of tough negotiation around a table.
“I do think we have to ask ourselves the question does closing factories in the meantime help that or perhaps add to the pressure in the sector," Coveney said.
Speaking strongly with one voice
“The other thing I’m worried about in the sector is the splintering of farm organisations and the voice of agriculture in Ireland. Farming is at its most influential when the farming organisations are speaking strongly with one voice.
“I think we’re seeing through understandable frustration and anxiety of many people in the beef sector a sense of a lack of coherence or when deals are done they’re quickly rejected and so the capacity of leadership collectively in farming organisations to be able to negotiate clear policy solutions gets undermined.
“I think we need to be careful we don’t do damage to a sector that has been extraordinarily successful in lobbying by being together.
“That model in terms of interaction between farming, agriculture and government and policy makers is being challenged too right now and it’s a big worry for me and big concern for Minister Creed as well which is why we need a structure.”
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