Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

A placard at a protest in Clonee earlier this month. TheJournal.ie

More pickets at beef plants as talks labelled 'a waste of time' unless prices are on the table

The unofficial protests are ongoing amid unrest among farmers.

PROTESTS ARE ONGOING at some meat processing facilities as the IFA has said that more talks are “a waste of time” unless price is being discussed.

The unofficial protests are not being organised by any specific group with those on the picket saying they have taken the action themselves.

Yesterday, the Beef Plan Movement confirmed that it has rejected the draft deal reached between farmers, the meat industry and the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed.

Beef Plan Movement protests were suspended on 9 August after 12 days of pickets around the country but some farmers are still protesting over beef prices.

Speaking on the RTÉ’s News at One this afternoon, IFA President Joe Healy said the reason farmers were not happy with the previous talks is that the central issue of beef prices wasn’t addressed.

“We talk about going back into talks but it’s a waste of time going back in if we can’t talk about price. We mentioned price every time we were in there but unfortunately it couldn’t be talked about, or so we were told,” Healy says.

Okay price mightn’t be agreed in there, and competition law states that, but price can still be talked about in there because it’s very clear no matter what farmer you talk to it’s all about price.

Beef prices are down considerably from this time last year with Healy saying farmers are being forced to sell at below the average cost of production, as estimated by Teagasc.

Healy says that part of the problem is an oversupply in the market that is being made worse by the importation of beef from South America. The IFA has called for an immediate ban “on all sub-standard South American beef”.

“It’s a price increase that farmers want. We need the EU market to be rebalanced, it’s oversupplied at the moment but a lot of that oversupply is as a result of beef that’s coming in from South America.

We had 140,000 tonnes of beef coming in from Brazil last year and people confuse it with the Mercosur deal and that hasn’t even hit yet.

Beef prices are set through supply and demand. The Department of Agriculture cannot directly intervene to set prices but there have been calls for greater transparency around pricing.

PastedImage-62997 Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley TheJournal.ie TheJournal.ie

Sinn Féin today published a bill that seeks to have meat processors publish cattle prices that would be available to the public each day.

The Mandatory Beef Price Transparency would require beef processors to provide details around the price paid for cattle per kilogram as well as details of the cut and grade of beef for boxed beef.

Brian Stanley TD said the party was not seeking to set a specific price that beef farmers should receive but added that intervention was needed.

There’s huge, huge discrepancies in the information coming in as to what various factories and processors are paying. There’s huge discrepancy as regarding what share farmers get, but what we do know is that the farmers are running at loss, I’ve seen some of their balance sheets. What we do know is that some of major beef processors are making massive profits.

Stanley added the couldn’t say price-fixing was happening but that farmers feel they are not being dealt with honestly. 

“We have reports from around the country of farmers who believe that cattle is being graded wrongly, that they’re being disadvantaged. They believe that there’s discrepancies in the information coming through. So the only way the only way of flushing all of this out and getting knowledge out in the open is having that observatory there to ensure that there is up to date daily information there.”

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
37 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Murphy
    Favourite John Murphy
    Report
    Feb 4th 2012, 5:14 PM

    Well done journal for featuring these cases and I believe that you play a big part in the successful resolution of these worrying events for familys all over the country.

    139
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Burned Toast
    Favourite Burned Toast
    Report
    Feb 4th 2012, 5:29 PM

    Hope he gets help if he needs it, or a good kick up the hole if he fancied a jolly to the big schmoke.

    173
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Francis Stokes
    Favourite Francis Stokes
    Report
    Feb 4th 2012, 9:17 PM

    That is good news for his parents. Happy ending to their ordeal.

    37
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute olive tierney
    Favourite olive tierney
    Report
    Feb 4th 2012, 8:39 PM

    Thank god!!

    30
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Frank2521
    Favourite Frank2521
    Report
    Feb 4th 2012, 11:08 PM

    Should the parents pay for the police work?

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Hanly Sheelagh
    Favourite Hanly Sheelagh
    Report
    Feb 4th 2012, 11:40 PM

    No, why would they do that? Then we could have wealthy kids have the police search for them and the ones with no money could stay lost!

    59
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jack Driscoll
    Favourite Jack Driscoll
    Report
    Feb 5th 2012, 1:04 AM

    If he’s a runaway, wasting valuable Garda time, then yes his parents should. That’d teach parents to discipline their children properly.

    16
    See 2 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tony Rodgers
    Favourite Tony Rodgers
    Report
    Feb 5th 2012, 1:31 AM

    And then the police can start charging us when we want to report a robbery >_>
    The fire brigade and police service Remaining free is something even the most avid libertarian would agree with.

    23
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Louise Brandon-Doyle
    Favourite Louise Brandon-Doyle
    Report
    Feb 5th 2012, 11:55 AM

    To be fair, we all pay taxes so essentially yes the parents are paying for the service. And teen runaways are rarely about discipline issues and more about their emotional state.

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute -Romain Petton
    Favourite -Romain Petton
    Report
    Feb 5th 2012, 7:12 AM

    How come we never find out where all these missing kids were found?

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bláthnaid Belladonna
    Favourite Bláthnaid Belladonna
    Report
    Feb 5th 2012, 1:53 AM

    They don’t say what happened to him to go missing?? Only that he safe and well which Is great.

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Weazel Macgagarthy
    Favourite Weazel Macgagarthy
    Report
    Feb 5th 2012, 2:42 AM

    Probably because it’s none of our business…and great pic journal, could it be any closer?

    19
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
      Next upNext up:
      News in 60 seconds