17th April 2014
ICSA president Patrick Kent said that the association reiterated its call for a beef regulator at Minister Coveney’s beef round table today at Dublin Castle. “While the Minister didn’t rule it out, he did engage with the problems by setting up a permanent negotiating process to deal with the issues raised by ICSA and others.”
“We need structures to deal with problems such as sudden and unwarranted changes in price and spec, anti-competitive practices designed to manipulate price, difficulties in exporting live stores to Northern Ireland and Britain, savage cuts on animals that don’t meet quality assurance criteria and the overall concern about the suckler herd.”
“We welcome the fact that the Minister now sees that there is a crisis in the sector and ICSA will work with the new negotiating process. However we will have to see solutions which must include viable prices for 450kg bulls, greater understanding of the viability issue on cattle farms and open competition for all grades of cattle. Live exports will have to be facilitated to all markets.
“We will continue to make the case for a regulator while engaging with the process set up by Minister Coveney,” he concluded.
