A war of words has broken out between factories and farmers over the retail price of beef.

Meat Industry Ireland (MII) has described as “inaccurate and misleading” Beef Plan Movement claims in relation to producer share of the retail price.

Protests

Announcing plans to protest at retail distribution centres, Beef Plan told its members that “Meat Industry Ireland also say that retailers take the largest share of the retail price of beef”.

However, MII has said this is “inaccurate and misleading, both in content and attribution to MII.

"For the record, MII indicated in a statement on 23 August that the producer share of the retail beef price is closer to two-thirds”.

“MII also indicated that Irish beef is sold across several market channels (retail, food-service, wholesale and manufacturing) and 90% of our overall sales are to export markets.”

Demand

MII said that the current price pressure in the beef sector is linked to depressed demand for beef in European and UK markets and the uncertainty surrounding a no-deal Brexit, now just 50 days away.

“It remains the case that the price paid to Irish farmers for their cattle is at the average of that paid to their European counterparts,” the factories’ representative body said.

Talks

Both Meat Industry Ireland and the Beef Plan Movement are expected to join talks convened by the Minister for Agriculture on Monday morning.

The talks are expected to begin with bilateral meetings between the various farm organisations – Beef Plan, IFA, INHFA, ICMSA, ICOS and ICSA – and Meat Industry Ireland, with the talks chair Michael Dowling.

A further round of talks is then expected to commence on Monday evening in which all parties will be in the same room.

Despite many calls for retailers to be present in this round of talks, it is not expected that they will be included.

Over the weekend, a new group, the Independent Farmers of Ireland, continued to push for a place at the table for the talks.

The group says it represents those farmers who have been at factory gates since the second wave of protests began on 25 August.

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