15th January 2015

ICSA president Patrick Kent has said that the 2014-2015 Bord Bia Export Performance and Prospects report clearly demonstrates that increased output does not always translate into good returns for farmers.

“As we see from these figures, an increase of 13% in beef production resulted in a paltry 1% rise in the value of beef exports, showing that increasing output has been of little value to the economy, and has actually had a negative effect for many farmers. While output increased by 13% last year, beef prices fell by an average of 11%, a completely unsustainable price drop.”

“Bord Bia themselves admit in this report that beef consumption was sluggish across most markets last year, yet farmers are constantly being told that they need to increase output. ICSA is adamant that any future food production strategy must focus on profitability as opposed to increasing output, and these export figures further reinforce that view.”