The Individual Farmers of Ireland tractor protest group is calling on every rural TD to support the call by the Rural Independent group of TDs for a beef regulator to be introduced, to sort out the corruption and clear price fixing to keep prices below the cost of production.
The Individual Farmers group, who originated from the factory gate protest in 2019, stepped down from the factory gates on the promise by [former] Minister for Agriculture [Michael] Creed that a beef taskforce would be set up to sort out the industry,.
At this stage, the taskforce has proved to be a total waste of time with absolutely nothing achieved out of it for beef farmers.
Beef pricing
The competition authority found no wrongdoing and the Grant Thornton report found no wrongdoing in the beef industry.
But on February 12, 2021, 16 factories dropped their prices from €3.95-3.70/kg, on the same day, by an identical amount, to the hour.
This could not have happened without a well-organised price-fixing cartel in operation, as these factories had different markets and customers.
This price drop happened as sterling strengthened and the UK market powered ahead. This price drop cost Irish farmers at least €3 million a week and was totally unjustified.
Regulator
At this stage the only mechanism that can have the legal powers to tackle this well-organised web of powerful cartels, is a very sharp-toothed beef regulator.
Our current minister, when he was in opposition, called for a beef regulator to be brought in, but now when he is in power, wants to bring in a watered-down food ombudsman.
This ombudsman cannot possibly tackle this beef industry. It is now the opinion of [many] beef farmers in the country, that anything less than a regulator with very strong powers, will have very little effect on this cartel.
We are calling on every rural TD to remember who voted for them at the last election and get behind this bill and vote in favour of it in the Dáil.
Otherwise you are voting against every farmer in the country who helped to get you elected. Beef farmers need a regulator to save the industry and break up the cartels who have run the industry into the ground.
From James Geoghegan, Individual Farmers of Ireland.