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The second meeting of the Beef Market Taskforce will see the three key stakeholders in the beef industry around a table together – farmers, processors and retailers.
The meeting started at 11am on Thursday in Agriculture House and the first item for discussion is with retailers on market requirements and the in-spec bonus criteria.
These criteria – the four-movement rule, the 70-day residency requirement, the 30-month age limit and quality assurance – were the key grievances, along with the base price, during the beef protests.
Inviting retailers to the taskforce was one of the demands of the farm organisations.
Grid review
Teagasc will also attend the meeting to update stakeholders on the review of the grid. The first stage of this review has been completed and the findings will be presented in detail at the meeting.
The Irish Farmers Journal understands that the initial findings show since the grid was introduced in 2009, the value of forequarter cuts have actually increased while the retail value of steak cuts have flat-lined.
Much of this is owed to consumer sentiment changing away from roasts and steak cuts to mince and burgers. While it was thought there could be an increase in the differential to €0.10/kg, the initial scientific work may point towards a smaller increase, if any.
Carcase grading
Following a discussion with Teagasc on the findings, members of the Department of Agriculture carcase classification division will provide an update. Department experts will provide information on the review of mechanical grading machines and address a request for an appeals system.
After lunch, Meat Industry Ireland (MII) and Bord Bia will provide a market update report. Analysis by the Irish Farmers Journal shows winter finishers are currently losing up to €150/head at the current steer price of €3.55/kg.
There will also be a discussion on producer organisations (POs), as the Department is engaging with several potential new organisations.
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