Supermac’s boss hits out at role of the meat plants in crucifying beef farmers

THE Supermac’s restaurant chain across Ireland is being asked each year to pay more per kilo of beef while at the same time the price being paid to farmers is decreasing, it was claimed this week.

Now Supermac’s supremo, Pat McDonagh, has said that while his outlets ‘will do their duty’ in supporting Irish farmers, the time has come for the meat factories to play their part by passing on those price increases to farmers.

He warned this week – on the first day of the Ploughing Championships at Screggan – that farmers he had spoken to over recent months had never been under so much pressure as they were undergoing now.

“Farmers that I speak to have seldom been in such a delicate situation and we need to be very careful that we don’t put Irish farm families under the kind of pressure that they can’t recover from.”

“There are currently over 2,000 Irish farmers in negative equity and farm families are being targeted by vulture funds that are running riot throughout the country without anyone seeming to be able to control them.

“We have been in business for 40 years this year and have been working closely with Irish farmers for all that time,” said Pat McDonagh.

He said that this year alone, Supermac’s will spend €35 million on Irish farm produce adding that he was proud to be able to serve such high-quality product across his restaurant chain

“Our €35million spend on Irish produce is a very strong endorsement of the quality of produce on Irish farms and I am proud to serve it in each of our restaurants.

“But I believe that Irish farmers have seldom been under so much pressure. The uncertainty surrounding Brexit, the fodder crisis, prices being paid for product and a lack of cash flow are some of the biggest threats our farming communities have faced in several years.

“Our farming communities are one of the key pillars of Irish society and a vital part of the social fabric of the country. Regional Ireland needs a strong farming sector for many different reasons,” he said.

He added that in relation to the fodder crisis, any price increase that Supermac’s was being asked to pay for beef needed to be given directly to the farmer.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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