After six weeks of recruiting, the Beef Plan Group has confirmed that its numbers have surpassed 6,500.

The news comes after a crowd of over 450 farmers attended last night’s Beef Plan 2018-2025 Group meeting.

The farmer meeting took place yesterday evening (Wednesday, November 21) at the Cavan Crystal Hotel.

AgriLand was in attendance at the event to get farmers’ opinions on what they thought after the meeting.

Farmers were also asked what they want the ‘Beef Plan’ to achieve, and if they thought farmers would stand together under the Beef Plan Group.

Speaking after the event, Eamon Corley, a spokesperson for, and one of the founding members of, the recently formed Beef Plan Group – which is also referred to as the Beef Plan Movement – said: “What I have seen tonight is very encouraging, farmers are prepared to stand with us and make a stand over this.”

Corley believes that the Beef Plan Group can succeed where other farm lobby groups have failed because: “We have listened to the farmers on the ground and we have made this into their plan.”

Corley stressed that, while all members of other farm-lobby groups are welcome, “we are an independent group and we intend on implementing this plan because it is our plan”, adding: “We don’t want to have it compromised.”

He went on to say that the support from the farmers on the ground is what will drive the plan.

“If we reach 40,000 farmers, we would be in a position to control 40-50% of the kill and we will make this happen by uniting farmers around the country.”

Speaking to the attendees after the meeting, there was a notable sense of unity and a willingness to “stand together” among farmers.

One of the attendees remarked: “Farmers probably don’t realise the strength they actually have, and there is no reason why every beef farmer isn’t involved at this stage, including dairy farmers.”

He added: “There is no point in suckler farmers using up to 70% of their Single Farm Payment to work all year for nothing. That has to stop.”

Getting a fair price for cattle appeared to be what most farmers were calling for.

Another young farmer said: “Farmers are going to come together and stand up for their incomes and what they deserve, which is the cost of production plus a margin.”

Concluding, another vocal farmer outlined: “We are going to stand up and we are going to talk about what is going to happen.”