Beef price lift is needed to avert further protests

THE meat factories need to move quickly to a baseline beef price of €4/kg if they want to avoid further farmer protests, Galway IFA Livestock Committee Chairman, Michael Flynn warned this week.

He said that while significant progress had been made at last week’s Beef Forum in relation to age and weight restrictions, the meat plants still ‘hadn’t put their money where their mouths were’ in relation to cattle prices.

“The removal of the weight and age limits is very positive but the factories need to introduce a base price of €4 per kg. if they want to earn back any goodwill from the farming community,” said Michael Flynn.

At national level, the IFA have launched a major campaign asking beef/cattle farmers to hold out on selling as prices are increasing; to sell hard if they are ‘going’ with stock; and to demand more than is being officially quoted by the meat plants.

Last week, IFA President Eddie Downey, said after the Beef Forum, that there was still deep frustration among farmers at the failure of the meat factories to pass back the stronger prices being paid in Ireland’s main marketplace – the UK.

IFA National Livestock Chairman Henry Burns said prices were rising with farmers securing 5c-10c over quoted prices in some factories. “Supplies are extremely tight – factories are struggling to get numbers for the Christmas kill,” he said.

According to Michael Flynn, earlier this week, the meat plants were quoting baseline prices of €3.80/kg for steers, €3.85/kg for heifers, €3.85 to €3.90/kg for young bulls and €3.20 to €3.50/kg for O and R strippers.

Other points agreed at last week’s Beef Forum included: the use of the R3 steers as the norm for price comparisons; no price penalties for extra weight up until December 2015; seek to increase the 30 month age restriction to 36 and a re-examination of the bull beef issue.