Beef producer organisations “present a significant opportunity to strengthen the position of the beef farmer in the supply chain”, according to a senior official in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The Beef Taskforce, its performance and its future were the topics of conversation at this week’s Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine – with sustainable beef production a key point of debate.
The matter was broached in response to a question from Sinn Féin agriculture spokesperson Matt Carthy, who enquired as to how the sector can get to the point where a “stable price flow and profitable margin” can be obtained for farmers in the medium and long-term.
Responding to the question, Sinead McPhillips, assistant secretary general in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, offered “one strand” on options to improve the bargaining power of the primary producer in the supply chain, stating:
“One aspect of that is beef producer organisations.
“We’re not suggesting that that’s the answer to all of the issues in the beef sector by any means – but it is one mechanism which the department has legislated for and provided financial assistance for to enhance the position of the primary producer.
“Our view would be that producer organisations present a significant opportunity to strengthen the position of the beef farmer in the supply chain.
“There are currently three DAFM-recognised beef producer organisations which received recognition by the department in September 2019, October 2019 and May of this year respectively.”
Continuing, the DAFM assistant secretary general said:
“The department is engaged through the taskforce and separately, extensively with stakeholders in promoting the establishment of beef producer organisations which are exempt from competition law requirements and allow for producer organisations to bargain on behalf of their members.
“That is something that we would strongly support, and in relation to the next CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] we would certainly propose that the existing supports be maintained and perhaps enhanced to further encourage the establishment of those producer organisations.
“McPhillips also outlined a recommendation to “consider extending that support to the sheep sector also”.
Beef producer organisations have been highlighted as an option to “deliver more clout” for farmers in recent years and have been backed by EU studies on the matter.