Progress for beef farmers after positive meeting – McEntee

Fine Gael TD for Meath East, Helen McEntee, has said that this week’s roundtable meeting on beef issues marked real progress for beef farmers.

“The meeting on beef organised this week by Minister Coveney with farmers and factories, was a really positive step forward and represents solid progress in finding solutions to the current problems around beef prices.

“Before the meeting, farmers felt they had no choice but to protest. Their livelihoods were at stake and I fully understand the pressure they are under.

“At the meeting it was agreed there will now be an intensive two weeks of discussions between farmers and factories,  mediated  by Michael Dowling who is the former Secretary General at the Department of Agriculture and author of the beef element of the Food Harvest Report. Mr Dowling is extremely experienced, with an in-depth understanding of the beef industry and the current challenges faced by farmers. The negotiations will focus on issues such as specifications, penalties, bonuses and the way in which pricing works for farmers when they bring animals to the factory.

“The other main achievement of this week’s meeting was a strong endorsement of Minister Coveney’s plans to proceed with the setting up of producer organisations for beef farmers. This will mean a radical change in the way farmers do business and is long overdue.

“Currently farmers have to take prices from factories on their own and have limited ability to to negotiate. The plan now is for beef farmers to become voluntary members of a farmer owned producer organisation, that would employ professional negotiators to negotiate with the factories on their behalf. This will ensure they get the best prices for what they are producing. It’s a win win as the factories will be able to guarantee supply as long as farmers are getting a fair price. A good example of where this has worked well before is Monaghan Mushrooms, a producer organisation achieving the best prices possible for mushroom growers.

“I know it’s been a very difficult year so far for beef farmers and I am committed to continuing to work with Minister Coveney, the IFA and its members in Meath, to support farmers as best we can. This Government knows the importance of beef farming to the Irish economy and is committed to finding a workable solution to the current problems experienced by farmers. The upcoming negotiations are really crucial in this regard.

“Furthermore we are continually seeking new markets for beef farmers and this week is going to be monumental on that front. Minister Coveney is in China on a trade mission seeking to open up the export of Irish beef to the premium end of the Chinese market. Chinese people are consuming more and more foreign food and there are huge opportunities there for the sale of good quality Irish beef. The US beef market is also opening up to Irish exports in the coming weeks and the future is bright for Irish beef farmers.”