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BEEF TASKFORCE MUST URGENTLY ADDRESS IMMINENT BREXIT THREAT TO BEEF

Sep 22, 2020 | Latest News, Press Releases | 0 comments

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22 SEPTEMBER 2020

ICSA president Edmond Phelan has said the potential fallout from Brexit must be top of the agenda when the Beef Taskforce meets this week. “We are three months away from potential Armageddon and farmers simply cannot be expected to fill sheds with cattle in the coming weeks when there is unprecedented risk attached to this in light of Brexit uncertainty.”

ICSA wants to see this week’s Beef Taskforce focus in-depth on the Brexit risks. “This is the biggest threat to the future of our sector and it must be treated as urgent. The risk of tariffs being imposed on Irish beef exports to the UK from January onwards is very real. The potential for disastrous losses is manifest and turning a blind eye to this risk is unacceptable.”

“ICSA is urging Minister McConalogue to demand that individual processors appear at the Taskforce meeting. Processors can no longer be allowed to hide behind Meat Industry Ireland (MII), they need to be at the table engaging with primary producers in an open manner. Beef finishers around the country won’t fill their sheds unless some kind of stability is afforded to them, and we need to hear what processors have to offer. It is unacceptable that beef finishers should be expected to absorb all of the risk at this critical time.”

“Every effort must also be made by the Irish Government and the EU to ensure that primary producers here are protected. The EU has set aside a €5bn Brexit fund and securing that the lion’s share of that for Ireland – as the country most impacted by Brexit – must be a top priority. The amount will need to be equivalent to the cost of tariffs on an annual basis and ongoing basis. Furthermore, beef imports from outside the EU must be suspended in the event of no deal between the EU and UK.”

“We cannot continue with the business as usual approach at a time when the UK seems hell-bent on collapsing a sensible trade deal. Perhaps a bare bones deal can be pulled together at the last minute, but the stakes are now too high for burying heads in the sand.”

“Consequently, the question of the PGI status for grass fed beef should be deferred pending further negotiations. ICSA had a virtual meeting with Department officials on Friday where we re-iterated our position that the PGI status should be part of a bigger strategy to brand suckler beef as a premium product. ICSA also expressed concern about ownership and governance relating to the PGI application. Any PGI designation must be for the benefit of the primary producer and its management must be overseen by a board where farmers’ interests are protected. In particular, it is essential that the interests of suckler farmers and beef finishers are heard and protected.  We are waiting to hear back from the Department on the points raised.”

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CONVENING OF NFFSC MUST KICKSTART EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO WEATHER RELATED DIFFICULTIES FACING FARMERS

ICSA president Sean McNamara has said the convening of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee (NFFSC) tomorrow must kick start an emergency response to the ongoing difficulties facing farmers amidst continuing heavy rainfall. “With any hope of an early spring well and truly dashed and any fodder reserves dwindling fast it is clear this committee needs to rapidly reassess the current situation on the ground, including the extent of the fodder shortages and the impact of continued wet weather on farming operations,” he said.

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