Tough questions were asked but the same answer came back time and time again. “We are an island of predominantly grass fed steers and heifers – that’s our point of difference,” said Paul Nolan from Dawn meats.

An understandably frustrated group of beef farmers met at the Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny for last night’s (Thursday 30th) IFA livestock meeting. Nolan explained that we need a point of difference in order to sell into our export markets. “If we go there with out of spec bulls, they don’t want them, they produce them over there themselves”.

Farmers were critical of processors for steering them towards the production of black and whites. These animals are now being blamed for flooding the Irish beef market. Farmers felt that if these animals had been exported, then we wouldn’t be undergoing the current squeeze on margins. A squeeze that is also eating into the margin for farmers producing quality continental bulls, which one farmer pointed out was acting as a smoke screen because “steer prices are back too, but we are all distracted by the bulls”.

Terry Carroll (Teagasc) explained that for a 720 kg bull, with a carcase gain of 0.95 kg per day it is costing €4.10 for feed, yet the carcase gain per day is only worth €3.60. He clearly illustrated that if animals are fit but not being killed, they are costing farmers money.

“On the boat they must go,” was the final line of an emotional statement from the floor. This was followed by rapturous applause. Henry Burns IFA Livestock chairman said “I believe that we had a verbal contract and it has been dishonoured yet if we all reach for the burdizzo now there will be a quiet kill in a years time”.

Paul Nolan flagged that dairy quotas aren’t gone yet and the dairy men will keep calves to use their millk. So not all the animals will go on the boat.