As farmers gather outside Agriculture House in Dublin this Wednesday to protest low beef prices, president of the IFA Joe Healy has said they’ve had enough of Minister Michael Creed’s, “can’t do it, won’t do it approach.”

“The Minister hasn’t lifted a finger while the factories have robbed farmers by systematically cutting cattle prices. At the same time, prices to farmers are rising in our main export market in the UK,” Healy said.

There is no real engagement on the key issues

The Beef Forum was designed to be a meeting place for the Department and industry stakeholders from farm organisations and the meat processors, but Healy said it had become a “mudguard for inaction.”

“It isn’t even a talking shop. Recent meetings have become ‘death by powerpoint’ as farmers get presentation after presentation designed to run down the clock. There is no real engagement on the key issues,” he said.

Budget

Healy pointed out that the true test of Minister Creed’s commitment to agriculture would be revealed in the Budget next Tuesday.

Minister Creed has been staunch in his opposition to a €200/suckler cow payment, but the president of the IFA insisted that Budget day will reveal if the Minister truly supports the suckler sector.

“Budget Day will be the acid test for Minister Creed. Beef Farmers will judge him on what he delivers for sucklers,” Healy said.

Factories have torn the hell out of prices and forced them down well below the cost of production

“We’ve had enough of the Minister’s ‘can’t do it, won’t do it’ approach. It won’t wash with farmers. It’s time for action, it’s time for delivery. Next Tuesday is D-Day”.

IFA Livestock chair Angus Woods said that pressure on cattle farms was at breaking point, following the weather extremes of 2018.

He pointed out that the average income on cattle rearing farms according to Teagasc was just €12,529 for 2017.

Beef protest outside Agriculture House in Dublin.

“Factories have torn the hell out of prices and forced them down well below the cost of production. This also eroded confidence in the market place and wrecked the mart price for weanlings and stores,” Woods said.

“Prices in our main export market in the UK are rising, up 20p/kg in recent weeks”.

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