Race to the Bottom Has to Stop and Beef Prices Must Rise
![Cattle](https://www.ifa.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Beef-animals-970x545.jpg)
Speaking at the Beef Taskforce meeting in Dublin today, the IFA President Joe Healy told the main retailers that the unsustainable discounting of top-quality beef was a race to the bottom that has to stop.
He said beef prices cannot continue at current loss-making levels at farm level and must be increased.
“Retailers and factories, who work together, must pass back higher market returns with a significant and immediate price rise to farmers.”
Joe Healy said retailers outlined details of their specifications, which in general are a lot less onerous than those applied by the factories.
He said the Taskforce has hired international consultants Grant Thornton to undertake a full and independent review of market and customer requirements, specifically in relation to the four in-spec bonus criteria currently in operation. The retailers indicated they will co-operate fully with this exercise.