This is a subscriber-only article
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed is due to chair the eighth beef forum next Tuesday. It was a process set up in 2014 by his predecessor, Simon Coveney. Initial meetings took place against a backdrop of farmers protesting outside factory gates over price cuts and severe penalties on what was being classified as out-of-spec stock.
To date, the beef forum has promised a lot but has completely failed to tackle any of the serious challenges facing the sector. From the outside, it appears to be nothing more than a talking shop, designed to give those around the table a level of political cover from whatever issues are prevalent on the day.
The total lack of accountability and failure to deliver on agreed outcomes means the forum now has a real credibility issue among beef farmers. We will no doubt see the traditional flurry of press releases issued in advance and in the aftermath of next week’s meeting. It has become a familiar routine but one that farmers see through.
If the beef forum is to regain any level of credibility, Minister Creed must bring accountability to the top of the agenda. As far back as 2014, farmers were promised increased transparency around beef prices with the introduction of a “wholesale price index” which would be developed and published by both Bord Bia and the Department of Agriculture.
Four years later we see factories this week trying to collapse beef price and still farmers have no insight into what the market is actually delivering. The minister cannot credibly sit through another forum without giving farmers a reason as to why this has yet to be delivered.
The lack of delivery also extends to promises made by the minister to implement a permanent system of carcase trim monitoring in the factories. The industry is still working with the analogue camera system for VIA grading of carcases, which is adequate in the way that our TV picture was adequate 20 years ago. It does a satisfactory job in predicting an EUROP grade for the carcase but doesn’t facilitate assessment of the standard of carcase dressing.
Occasional factory visits by Department of Agriculture inspectors are not sufficient. While a permanent official would be an improvement, surely the technology is available to allow for accurate monitoring and recording of carcase trim. The ongoing failure to introduce this technology, despite repeated assurances, leaves the minster exposed to claims that processors are dominating the agenda on this issue.
Next week’s forum needs to show an appetite to tackle the key issues facing the sector, regardless of how popular or unpopular they may be. Carcase grading has to come under the spotlight, as does the need for a review of the quality payment system. Are the various stakeholder groups around the table satisfied that the current payment model accurately reflects the market value of the carcase?
Another priority for the forum has to be tackling the effective shutdown of the live trade to Northern Ireland. Blame is often laid at the doorstep of Brexit but in reality the issue is around country-of-origin labelling regulations being used by processors and retailers that are preventing northern buyers crossing the border. This seems to be unique to the UK and not repeated elsewhere in Europe.
It is an issue that received plenty of political attention a number of years back but is now being largely ignored, despite having serious consequences for the store trade, particularly in the west of Ireland.
Ultimately, if the beef forum is to regain any level of credibility among farmers, Minister Creed, as chair, must at next Tuesday’s meeting hold those that have failed to deliver on previous commitments to account and give a clear roadmap of delivery. He must also present how the forum is going to deal with the real issues that are affecting farmers on the ground. In the absence of such commitments, it is difficult to see what benefit it is for farm organisations to continue to sit around the table.
SHARING OPTIONS: