Sinn Féin spokesperson for agriculture Matt Carthy “still has doubts” as to whether an office of national food ombudsman will be effective in helping to bring transparency to the food – and beef – sector.
Speaking in the Dáil late on Tuesday night (November 3), into Wednesday morning, the Cavan-Monaghan TD voiced concerns around transparency in the meat industry and sought the minister’s views on the 30-month age limit and four movement rules imposed by meat factories
He also highlighted that 40% of Irish beef farmers “are still essentially non-viable”, and called for intervention from Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue on the issue.
In his response, Minister McConalogue highlighted an 11% increase in funding from Budget 2021 for the continuation of farm schemes during the CAP transition period as well as the policy to implement an office of national food ombudsman to “help bring transparency to the food sector”.
Replying to the minister, deputy Carthy said:
“In case the Minister is in any doubt, I wish to state clearly that we will work with whatever is put in place.
“The food ombudsman is something to which he has committed. I hope he does it quickly and I really do hope it works. I still have my doubts.
A food ombudsman can only implement government policy – and if that policy is to turn a blind eye to these type of practices by the factories then the food ombudsman can do nothing about it.
Stating that such practices go back to 2009, “a very different time”, the TD said: “Many players in the retail and food sectors say they do not make any sense.
“Nobody goes into a restaurant, requests its best sirloin beef and asks the restaurant to ensure that the beef is 29 months old.
“Nobody goes into a supermarket and looks at the packaging to see how many movements the cow that produced the beef made.
These are just mechanisms put in place to distort the market. Will the minister monitor these and analyse the impact they are having on the prices farmers are receiving?
“If that analysis confirms what I believe, namely, that they are actually having a downward pressure on those prices, will the minister then look at all mechanisms to ensure we can find a means to undo the damage?
In his reply, Minister McConalogue said: “I have not seen any policies from Sinn Féin that would address it at all.
“I expect to see the report Grant Thornton is preparing on the relationship and the requirements of retailers and how that interfaces with processors and primary producers very soon.
It will be really important to informing the work of the beef taskforce. Very importantly, I see a very strong role for that taskforce as the voice for farmers and the representative farmers on how we go forward from that point.
“The commitment to introduce a food ombudsman to bring additional transparency is something I am very committed to because it is very crucial for me that farmers get a fair price, are profitable and are rewarded for the very hard work they carry out,” the minister concluded.