Supermarket multiples have been accused of applying too much pressure when driving down meat product prices ahead of the horsemeat crisis by Fine Gael TD Martin Heydon.
Speaking at the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Donegal, Mr Heydon said large retailers could not morally expect extremely cheap meat to be of the highest quality.
“I’m not for a minute letting the processors off the hook but I think the multiples have a case to answer here,” he said.
Mr Heydon said in one instance a box of six own-brand burgers were being sold for €1.20, “which meant that those burgers were 20 cent each and I believe the multiple was paying the factory eight cent to produce those burgers”.
He added: “A multiple that pays eight cent a beef burger can’t morally really expect that to be of the highest meat standard. They too have a case to answer in relation to the pressure they put on for the lowest price for the bottom line.”
Mr Heydon also said consumers rightly expected not to be misled by inaccurate labelling.
The Irish authorities were praised by British parliamentarians for discovering the presence of horsemeat in products and for publicising the information.
