Representatives from individual meat processors attended a meeting of the Beef Market Taskforce for the first time today (Thursday, May 3).
At previous meetings before today, the processing sector was represented on the taskforce collectively by Meat Industry Ireland (MII).
However, after recent calls from a number of farm organisations, eight meat processors sent their own representatives to take part in the online meeting.
Agriland understands that the eight processors were ABP, Dawn Meats, Kepak, Kildare Chilling, Ashbourne Meats, Liffey Meats, Dunleavy Meats and Slaney Foods.
It is understood that, among the range of topics that were under discussion, weighing facilities at factories and the 30-month in-spec bonus rule featured prominently.
It appears that one set of representatives on the farm organisation side of the meeting called for the 30-month rule to be abolished on foot of the recent confirmation that Ireland’s BSE risk status is now ‘negligible’.
It is understood that this call to remove the 30-month rule received support from about half of the farm organisations at the meeting. However, it is understood that no farm organisation explicitly rejected the call to abolish the rule.
It has been argued by some farm organisations recently – and particularly during and after the 2019 factory gate protests – that the 30-month rule was initially tied to the risk of BSE and that there is no current justification for the rule.
On the issue of weighing facilities in factories, the cost of these facilities came under discussion between farm organisations and processor representatives.
Under the 2019 Beef Sector Agreement – the outcome of the factory gate protests – processors agreed that they would install weighing facilities in plants. Since then, farm organisations have called on them to follow through on the agreement.
Another meeting of the Beef Market Taskforce is currently scheduled for July. Agriland understands that, at present, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is slated to attend then.