‘Skin and hair flies’ at crisis beef meeting

A BEEF meeting in Navan this week where ‘there was skin and hair flying’ could spark an autumn of protest across the country with the factories again pulling prices this week.

The Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney, the meat processors, some retail chains and the senior IFA hierarchy are facing intense pressure this week as the beef crisis ‘at the end of the cycle’ shows no sign of easing.

Over 250 farmers turned out last Tuesday night for an IFA Regional Meeting on the beef crisis at the Ardboyne Hotel in Navan that was also addressed by a representative from beef/food marketing group, Dunbia.

Late into the meeting as tempers became increasingly frayed, journalists were asked to leave as farmers tried to plan for a protest strategy over the coming week.

RTE’s Agriculture Correspondent, George Lee, this week on Morning Ireland said that ‘there was skin and hair flying’ at the meeting with most of the anger being directed at the Minister for Agriculture, the meat processesors, a section of the UK retail business and the IFA itself.

He also spoke of a new group under the umbrella of ‘grassroots IFA’ who were trying to get more concerted action from the IFA leadership on the beef crisis.

The beef crisis in the Republic has now dragged on since last October with the store and forward store trade to the North one of the first issues to arise.

UK retail giant TESCO, do not want cattle that are reared in the South and then moved to the North, to be categorised as UK beef, although this practice has been ongoing for decades.

An even more worrying concern for bull beef farmers is the suggestion from Dunbia that some of the UK retail chains may be considering a furthering reduction in their age limit for bull beef slaughter – now at 16 months and possibly coming back to 14 months.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.