MORE THAN 200 cattle farmers held a protest over cattle prices outside Larry Goodman’s Anglo Irish Beef Packers (AIBP) head office yesterday.
Padraig Walshe, president of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), which organised the protest in Ardee, Co Louth, accused AIBP – as the largest beef processor – of dictating the pace on cattle-price cuts which wiped € 100 per head off prices in the last month.
Mr Walshe said the factories have cut beef prices by 28 cent/kg, plunging cattle farmers into a loss-making situation, with damaging consequences for the beef production base and the €1.6 billion export industry that depends on it.
IFA livestock committee chairman Michael Doran said the factories’ price and income cuts were threatening the national suckler herd of one million animals which was vital to Ireland’s future as a major quality beef export player in Europe.
He said there was clear evidence that unviable beef prices were forcing producers to destock breeding cows to pay bills and meet family living expenses, which would hit future production and export prospects.
He quoted Bord Bia figures for prices paid for cattle internationally which showed prices were 28 cent/kg higher in Britain, 52 cent/kg higher in Italy, 5cent/kg higher in France and 14cent/kg higher in Spain.
He said half of Ireland’s exports go to the UK where a differential of more than €100 per head existed, penalising Irish cattle farmers.
Mr Doran said the IFA was insisting that cattle prices must provide a viable return to producers over the cost of production, and were reflective of market returns in our main export markets in the UK and the EU.