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IFA staging latest blockade outside Musgrave distribution centre in Kildare

Musgrave supplies Supervalu and Centra stores.

LAST UPDATE | 10 Dec 2019

THE IRISH FARMERS’ Association (IFA) is staging a blockade outside the Musgrave central distribution centre in Kilcock, Co Kildare.

Musgrave supplies Supervalu, Centra and other stores around the country. 

The latest protest is part of the ongoing farmer campaign for an increase in beef prices, following similar blockades outside distribution centres for Tesco, Lidl and Aldi in the last week.

Today’s protest began at 7am and is expected to last until 7pm, as the previous protests did.

Beef farmers should not accept the current beef price on offer from factories and “demand a lot more”, IFA President Joe Healy said.

He said the latest Bord Bia Beef Price Index (for 1 December) shows that the gap between Irish prices and our main export markets has widened again and now stands at 21c/kg, up from 20c/kg the previous week.

This gap has increased from 5c/kg in mid-October to 21c/kg last week, highlighting the improvement in beef market prices to the factories, Healy said in a statement. 

“The facts are the factories held back on these market price improvements to farmers over the last five to six weeks and the Bord Bia Price Index proves this,” he said.

Healy said steer prices at the factories have risen by 10c/kg this week and heifer prices are up 5c to 10c/kg, depending on the factory. However, he said beef prices are still well behind the Bord Bia export benchmark price and even further behind the UK price.

“Irish farmers should be getting a higher price for their stock, supplies are tightening and farmers should hold out for more,” Healy said.

He added that the latest EU Commission beef price data shows that cattle prices in the UK, our main export market, increased again for week ending 1 December – to the equivalent of €4.13/kg, which is 52c/kg or €187 per head ahead of Irish prices.

This level of a price gap is unsustainable and Irish cattle prices have to rise further, immediately.

“We don’t have to wait for ‘price-setting Friday’ as stated by ABP. Factories should increase prices today and we are driving home the message to retailers. Tell your suppliers to treat farmers fairly,” Healy stated.

‘Unsustainable’ 

Healy said farmers are also angry that SuperValu were promoting a ‘save 33%’ offer on Irish beef at the weekend. “This unsustainable discounting ends up being paid for by farmers,” he said.

A spokesperson for Musgrave stated that SuperValu has “a long-standing commitment to Irish farmers and 100% of our SuperValu branded beef is Irish”.

“The price of beef is agreed between processors and farmers, as 90% of Irish beef is exported, it is important to note that we do not determine the market price of beef. ”

In a statement issued on Friday, ABP said Healy and the IFA “were fully aware that market indications pointed towards a cattle price increase in Ireland”. 

“The price paid by ABP for cattle will always be determined by the prevailing market conditions and those conditions have recently improved.”

The statement noted that ABP would increase the base price of cattle for deliveries from yesterday onwards. 

A spokesperson for ABP said the company won’t be commenting beyond the statement issued last week. 

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44 Comments
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    Mute Patrick Daly
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:48 AM

    By all means protest but now they’re preventing people from working and breaking the law so it should be broken up by gardai

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    Mute Karl Charlie
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    Dec 10th 2019, 12:00 PM

    @Patrick Daly: garda wont do nothing against farmers they dont have to follow the same laws as the rest of us, the processing plants should lower the amount they pay farmers until they cop on and stop preventing people from working especially so close to christmas going around blocking roads in their 100k tractors their job is to throw out a bit of food and water every day then go back to their big farm houses and do nothing the rest of the day

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    Mute pat seery
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    Dec 10th 2019, 12:12 PM

    @Karl Charlie: you must live in Bubble

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    Mute ruairi
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    Dec 10th 2019, 1:51 PM

    @Karl Charlie: An effective demonstration of your ignorance of farming there Karl.

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    Mute Paul Mcnevin
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    Dec 10th 2019, 4:22 PM

    @Patrick Daly: Block the farmers in.

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    Mute Karl Charlie
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    Dec 10th 2019, 8:56 PM

    @Paul Mcnevin: Gardai would be straight down moving you on

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    Mute Conall
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    Dec 11th 2019, 9:47 AM

    @Karl Charlie: Have you been on a farm recently? How many self-employed people do you think have time to do nothing the rest of the day?

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    Mute John gaughan
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:57 AM

    Farmers are the biggest shower of moaners in this country we all work and if we don’t like conditions we have two choices stay or get out
    If it not beef it’s milk crop’s so my advice to you farmers get out of it if there’s no profit and stop protesting and stoping people going to work
    I had sympathy for your case at the start but I think you had your say and there’s blockades are not on

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    Mute Keelan O'neill
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:05 AM

    @John gaughan: the irony that follows “shower of moaners” is delicious *chef’s kiss*

    51
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    Mute @at
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:20 AM

    @John gaughan: you ignorance on the subject is astounding. You won’t be a FFG cheerleader by any chance ?

    FG gave the beef processing price control to one man. The same man is a big FG donor. The same man that flooded the Irish market with horse meat. The same man who’s niece is married to the then minister for agriculture

    This is a protect against corruption as much as anything else. You seem to have no problem with corruption

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    Mute John gaughan
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:27 AM

    @@at: as I said I did have sympathy for them but blocking others going to work is not on
    I am not a ffg cheerleader

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    Mute Dermot Foley
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:56 AM

    @@at: and how is it that the farmers have no coop? Chickens come home to roost.

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    Mute Stephen Walshe
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:04 AM

    @Keelan O’neill: ha ha

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    Mute @at
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:05 AM

    @Dermot Foley: another one with complete ignorance on the subject. Are you not embarrassed commenting on a subject here that you clearly don’t have a clue about ?

    Simon Coveney basically blocked independent processors/co ops etc from operating in this country by licensing the disposal of the animal waste/Offal to one man

    This gives the one man control of all the beef processing in this country. Control the waste disposal, you control the processing. Control the processing, you control the prices

    This one Man has a niece that is married to Simon Coveney. This one man is a big donor to FG

    Next time do a bit of research before you come out with daft comments

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    Mute jamesdecay
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:08 AM

    @John gaughan: tune in next week when John sorts out the Middle East crisis.

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    Mute John Mc Donagh
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:40 AM

    @@at: Dead right my friend but I have to warn you that trying to explain the facts to that shower of anti-farmer, anti rural morons is like trying to teach the virtue of chastity to a pen of yearling bulls

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:49 AM

    @@at: to be accurate, it wasn’t the government that sold the processing business to Goodman.
    That would have been the farmers.

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    Mute Thomas Harrington
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    Dec 10th 2019, 12:29 PM

    @@at: he has a point – farmers were happy enough to vote Co-ops out of existence when there was a pay out to be had

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    Mute Smiley
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:34 PM

    @John gaughan: sorry “milk crops”…whatever your into. Says it all.

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    Mute Sam Cairns
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:21 AM

    I am going to come out in support of the farmer and will not buy red meat again this year.

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    Mute Bernard Sweeney
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:37 AM

    @Sam Cairns: That’d be an honorable gesture Sam if it was March or something.

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    Mute Ivor McCormack
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    Dec 10th 2019, 12:03 PM

    Why not camp outside Larry Goodman’s home?
    Why not put a blockade on Larry’s businesses?
    Beef prices are set by the processors, not the supermarkets.
    I’m not sure why this hasn’t been highlighted by the meeja, but it is something that people don’t seem to be very aware of.
    The profits for beef are ripped from the hands of the Farmers by the processors and they are being protected by the politicians who are happy to let people believe that it’s all the fault of the buyers, shops and customers who want to have their beef at the lowest price.
    Anyways, this will probably be lost in the noise… Feel like i’m shouting in a forest that a tree has fallen, but can’t be heard above the storm….

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    Mute Mick Byrne
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    Dec 10th 2019, 1:33 PM

    @Ivor McCormack: I hear you & agree.

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    Mute Michael Reilly
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    Dec 10th 2019, 5:50 PM

    @Ivor McCormack: Larry would be upset and stop the deductions that keep the IFA lads on mega salaries and expenses.
    Why not camp at the gates of a former IFA president that has a sweet heart deal with Larry to fatten his cattle.

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    Mute Smiley
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:36 PM

    @Ivor McCormack: best comment on this mess so far

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    Mute Kev Kev
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:24 AM

    Why is 90% of our beef exported?? And why are we selling imported beef?? Makes fcuk all sense

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    Mute Dermot Foley
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:57 AM

    @Kev Kev: money and money.

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    Mute Stephen Walshe
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:06 AM

    Go on lads the whole country could learn from the farmers!!!! Bring the country to a standstill. They’d soon come to heal.

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    Mute Roger Paltry
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:14 AM

    @Stephen Walshe: The people who could not get to their hospital appointments when the moaners blocked the city centre will be delighted with you. If the whole country behaved like spoilt brats our economy would be fupped.

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    Mute Decko49
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:27 AM

    @Roger Paltry: Our economy is f#cked. We are relying on corporate tax to keep our economy going. When the other countries go as low as our corporate tax rate we are f#cked too

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    Mute Karl Charlie
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    Dec 10th 2019, 12:04 PM

    @Stephen Walshe: you wouldnt see farmers protesting against the health system or homeless crisis they care about one thing and one thing only…. Themselves and to hell with the people who have to work 40hrs+ per week to put food on the table where you inherited your farms from the family, you dont like it then build houses on your land and get yourself a job

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    Mute Eamonn O Connell
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    Dec 10th 2019, 12:54 PM

    @Karl Charlie: do you protest about various things that don’t affect you or do you expect the people affected to do it. Stop spouting rubbish., farmers are protesting about the low price of beef being paid by factories and retailers who are making huge profits from itAs for the 40+ hours. Well that would be a short week for a farmer.

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    Mute Roger Paltry
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    Dec 10th 2019, 1:38 PM

    @Decko49: So you think Irekand should revert to an agrarian economy? These moaners are freeloading off of the taxpayers.

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    Mute Thomas Harrington
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    Dec 10th 2019, 12:26 PM

    Here’s a thought stop selling to people you feel so t give you a fair price – go and find another market liver every other business in the world

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    Mute Thomas Harrington
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    Dec 10th 2019, 12:31 PM

    @Thomas Harrington: fat fingers like a farmer!

    If you don’t like the price find another market like every other business has to do

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    Mute Sheila Teehan
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    Dec 10th 2019, 2:12 PM

    Will the supermarkets be able to rid us of the 4 moves limit and the 30 months age limit ? Joe Healy must not be thinking at all.

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:48 AM

    Yes!!!!

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    Mute Councillor Bill Clear
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    Dec 10th 2019, 7:08 PM

    Ifa piggy backing on beef plan group. They did all the heavy lifting

    3
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