IFA Announces Autumn Livestock Meetings – Tackling the Challenges in Beef
Announcing a series of IFA meetings for livestock farmers this autumn, the IFA President Eddie Downey said the first meeting will take place in the Ardboyne Hotel in Navan, Co. Meath on Tues, August 19th at 8.30pm. Further meetings have been arranged in September for Tullamore, Kilkenny and Tipperary.
Eddie Downey said livestock farmers cannot go through another year like the last 12 months. He said, “IFA is determined that the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney must sort out the key issues that are challenging the livestock sector and negatively impacting on farm incomes. The beef sector is in a very difficult position and must be improved”.
The IFA livestock farmers meeting in Navan will be addressed by the President Eddie Downey, the IFA National Livestock Chairman Henry Burns, Joe Burke from An Bord Bia and representatives of the meat processing industry.
Inviting all farmers to attend, Eddie Downey said the theme of the meeting is “Tackling the Challenges in Beef”. He said it will provide an opportunity for farmers to get the latest information on cattle supplies, market prospects and prices as well as specifications and live exports.
IFA National Livestock Chairman Henry Burns said the IFA campaign over the last few months has put the beef crisis top of the agenda and Minister Coveney must now deliver on the key issues. “The Minister must get a lot tougher with the meat factories, insist that they honour the agreement they have with farmers on the Quality Payment System and remove the unfair specifications cuts on dual pricing, weights and breeds that were never part of the QPS.”
In addition, Henry Burns said Minister Coveney must insist that the roadblocks impeding the important live export trade to Northern Ireland are removed, and competition and the single market are allowed to freely operate. He said, “IFA has been working hard with processors in Northern Ireland and branding solutions have been put forward which can resolve this issue. Minister Coveney needs to strongly support these solutions, as time is running out before the autumn trade intensifies”.
Henry Burns said it is Minister Coveney’s job to ensure that there is strong competition and transparency in the beef sector and insist that prices fairly reflect market returns. He said the Minister needs to do a lot more to restore confidence and the Beef Forum has to deliver on the key issues around restoring prices and incomes, the QPS, specifications, contracts and live exports.