This article is from page 59 of the 2009-11-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 59 JPG
SB el ae elem oa Woorml tom eleom en Otte farmers and the prices paid to farm- ers in the UK grew by more than €60 in the month of October alone. This massive month-on-month in- crease has prompted Clare farmer and Chairperson of ICMSA’s Beef and Cattle Committee, Martin Mc- Mahon, to call for radical action to be taken.
The gap between the average price paid per head of cattle in the UK and Ireland now stands at a massive €150 per animal.
“There is absolutely no justifica- tion for such a price gap between Irish and UK cattle prices and this gap must be bridged immediately by meat processors,’ he said.
“The facts demonstrate that since the start of October beef prices have actually increased in the UK while prices have fallen in Ireland with the result that the average steer in Ire- land is now being sold at €150 less than its equivalent in the UK.
“At the start of October, the gap stood at €90 per head. The reason the gap has grown is simple.
“With the increased kill over the past month, meat processors are simply taking advantage of the in- creased supplies and are profiteering at the expense of farmers by pulling prices.
“These cattle are now being sold at a loss and farmers will simply not be able to stay in the business unless
prices return to sustainable levels. Once again, our processors take a short term benefit with no account taken of the long-term damage to the overall sector.
“The UK accounts for over fifty
percent of Irish beef exports and prices are rising in that market so the drop in beef prices over the past month simply cannot be justified. The cost of the price gap for Irish farmers on steers alone is over €11m
for October.
‘Farmers cannot afford such losses and yet again they must appeal to the processors to pay fair prices that will safeguard the future of the sector and ensure a supply of Irish beef.”