Pig and poultry members of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) will renew their protests at retailers in two counties today (Monday, February 14).
Protests are set to take place at retailers in counties Monaghan and Cork.
It is understood that the protest in Monaghan has already commenced, at Dunnes Stores in Monaghan town.
The Cork protest is set to take place at 11:00a.m at the Bishopstown Shopping Centre on the outskirts of Cork city. The Dunnes Stores outlet there is also the target for this protest.
In a statement this morning, IFA president Tim Cullinan said: “It is very disappointing that Dunnes Stores has ignored IFA’s request for a meeting.
“The pig, poultry and horticulture sectors are in meltdown and retailers need to act responsibly,” he highlighted.
“We met other retailers in the last week to highlight the severe loss-making situation for many farmers due to escalating costs. However, Dunnes Stores has not even responded to IFA requests for a meeting,” Cullinan asserted.
Over the last week, the IFA has met with representatives from Tesco, SuperValu, Centra and Lidl, where IFA delegations – led by Cullinan – expressed concerns around farmers’ production costs and the impact on the viability of farmers.
“A substantial portion of the output from these sectors is sold on the retail shelves in Ireland. These important players in the retail sector have a vital role.
“They must now prove to farmers that they have not only listened, but that they will follow through on these engagements with suppliers and ensure that farmers’ cost increases are covered and they can afford to stay in business,” the IFA president said, reiterating his previous comments from the weekend.
He also criticised “government inaction” on legislation to introduce the long-promised Food Ombudsman, which, he claimed, has left farmers without any power in the food chain.
“Every link in the food chain deserves to have its cost recognised and an ability to recoup these costs, or the Irish food production system will fail,” he warned.
In a joint statement at the weekend, IFA poultry chairperson Nigel Sweetman and IFA pigs chairperson Roy Gallie said: “The retail grocery market in Ireland is dominated by five major retailers, controlling 90% of the market. Unless we have robust regulation of these retailers, we will see more and more farmers going to the wall.”