August 8th 2014

ICSA president Patrick Kent has challenged the fixation with the €5 steak evident in multinational supermarket pricing.

Responding to comments made by Paul Nolan of Dawn Meats in this week’s Irish Independent Farming which implied that the consumer is not willing to pay more than €10 for two steaks, Mr. Kent said, “It is a stunning indictment of the beef industry that the consumer has been brainwashed into expecting to get a premium product like steak for under €5. The cost of production must be reflected in the retail price, and producing top quality beef involves two to three years of farming activity.”

“Retailers would have us believe that they can’t get any more than €5 for a premium Irish grass-fed steak with all its nutritional benefits, yet they have no problem charging more than that for certain brands of mouthwash, which you essentially spit down the sink. Fast-food outlets like McDonald’s can charge over €6 for a burger meal. How can we be expected to believe that discerning consumers won’t pay more for premium Irish steak?”

“This is also evidence of a marketing failure. Supermarkets can charge €15 for a set of Gillette Razor blades, and yet they have convinced shoppers that that they should pay less than €5 per person for steak. It’s clear that the marketing strategy employed by Gillette has been far more successful than that used to market Irish beef, despite the mantra we are constantly fed about the importance of the Quality Assured Scheme and Origin Green.”