Beef farmers are being “short-changed by up to €6 million/week” by processors, according to one farm organisation.

At a meeting of beef farming members of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) in Portlaoise, Co. Laois, last night (Tuesday, November 22), IFA president Tim Cullinan made the claim based on Bord Bia data.

“The Bord Bia [price] tracker has brought more transparency to beef price and we can now see that Irish prices are at least 50c/kg behind the Export Benchmark Price. This is costing beef farmers at least €6 million a week,” Cullinan said.

“This is totally unacceptable and it’s an appalling way for processors to be treating their customers.”

Cullinan called for the Office of Fairness and Transparency in the Food Supply Chain to be established “as a matter of urgency”.

IFA livestock chairperson Brendan Golden also expressed his frustration with the widening gap between Irish prices and both UK and EU prices.

According to Golden, this gap is at its widest since 2010.

“It is clear that our processors are not paying the price the market justifies and are further eroding beef farmers’ incomes,” he said.

“This comes on top of a CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] reform which hit beef farmers very severely.”

The IFA livestock chair went on to say the the Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group draft report being developed for the sector is “totally focussed on reducing production”.

“There are no proposals to ensure we have a viable sector for the years ahead. All the signals to young people are negative,” he commented.

Golden called on Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue to “front up and now tell us what plans he has for the sector”.

The meeting, which took place at the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise, was also addressed by Teagasc beef specialist Aidan Murra; Bord Bia’s meat and livestock manager Joe Burke; and Paul Nolan from Dawn Meats.