The “Beef Market Price Index”, launched on the Bord Bia website earlier this week, has been welcomed by the Beef Plan Movement – with the group also reiterating its calls for the Beef Market Taskforce to convene.
In a statement on the matter, Alan O’Brien, Beef Plan’s south-eastern regional vice chairman, said:
“Beef Market Price Index is another tool, which farmers now have available to them to discern what price benchmark farmers producing cattle for slaughter can work from and what price/kg that farmers are entitled to.
“It’s an invaluable observatory tool – now farmers can go online and see what prices are paid across the EU,” he said.
- Agreed date of slaughter;
- Agreed price per kg;
- Type of animal(s) to be slaughtered; and
- Number of animal to be slaughtered.
The vice chairman stressed that meat processors “need to be tied in to binding agreements and not be allowed say to to farmers that their cattle can’t be killed on this day or that day”.
The Beef Plan representative also commended Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed for following through on the commitment for the index under the Irish Beef Sector Agreement, made in September.
The fifth quarter, for which the farmer receives no payment, is now detailed on the Beef Price Index, he added.
In conclusion, the vice chairman appealed to Minister Creed, Meat Industry Ireland and all Beef Market Taskforce representatives to come to the table as a matter of urgency to address all other aspects of the beef sector agreement and in particular associated deadlines.