The Beef Market Taskforce, which was set up as part of the Beef Sector Agreement 2019 – itself a result of the 2019 factory gate protests – looks set to be dissolved and concluded, according to one set of farmer representatives on it.
The Irish Beef and Lamb Association (IBLA) said in a statement that there was a meeting of the taskforce yesterday (Wednesday, July 21) and that it now appears that the forum will be “concluded prematurely”, despite “the lack of constructive engagement on key topics that have not been addressed”.
“If this forum is not available to key meat industry stakeholders, primary producers will be back to where we started in August 2019,” the IBLA said.
It was in August 2019 that the factory gate protests began. At the time, IBLA members played a major role in the initial wave of protests as part of the Beef Plan Movement.
The IBLA has said that, if the taskforce is to be shut, then another public forum should be established by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to “avoid pressure points developing in the industry again which led to the protests”.
At yesterday’s meeting, the IBLA said it sought clarity under which factory agents act on behalf of meat processors, which it says is requested so that farmers “can be clear that contractual agreements made by agents are binding on the meat processors that they represent”.
“Additionally, we asked for clarity on the potential competition conflicts of agents representing more than one processor.”
The association also stated that, if consumers consider ‘under 30 months’ to be important, then beef should be labelled as such, claiming it was an “unfair trading practice” not to do so.
The IBLA also argued that some meat processors have not implemented some aspects of the Beef Sector Agreement, particularly the commitment around lairage weighing facilities.
The statement went on to say that the taskforce has not featured any discussion on the possibility of a independent regulator for the beef sector.
“We are concerned that the beef taskforce may be wound up and that no forum will exist in which issues related to the beef industry could be discussed among key industry stakeholders.”
The IBLA even went so far as to criticise the other farm organisations on the taskforce, claiming that their participation levels and contribution were “inadequate and disappointing” – though the IBLA argued that this did not apply to the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA).
In the event of the taskforce being concluded, the IBLA argues that the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine should take up some of the taskforce’s roles.