MUNSTER FARMER: 'Fair trade begins at home'
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Wednesday February 03 2010
MEAT processors and supermarkets are keeping producer prices below the cost of production, according to the ICSA's new president Gabriel Gilmartin who wants to see 'fair trade' thinking applied to Irlsh farmers.
Speaking at the ICSA annual conference in Limerick, Mr Gilmartin said supermarkets need to reflect on the meaning of 'corporate social responsibility' when they remain unconcerned about the dire straits that most Irish farmers find themselves in.
"We want fair trade for Irish farmers. Fair trade is not just about coffee and bananas. It's time it started at home with our beef and lamb. Beef farmers need an immediate price rise to €3.36/kg for prime cattle. While we are in favour of a quality pricing grid, farmers won't accept a grid without a price level that makes sense to them and one which makes feeding cattle profitable," he said.
He reiterated the ICSA call for farmers to stop selling beef to factories at anything less than this price.
"It's disgraceful that Irish beef makes 13% less than English beef and 20% less than Scottish beef, even though they are selling on the same UK supermarket shelves. The fact that weanling prices were 7% lower in 2009 than in 2008 - despite increases in Spanish and Italian weanling prices - shows how bad things are. The future of the cattle sector must be based on profitable weanling prices driven by competition between exporters and Irish finishers. Finishers, in turn, must receive a beef price for quality grades that will leave them a worthwhile profit too," he insisted.
Mr Gilmartin demanded that the government and EU stop ignoring what he called "the abuse of powerless farm families by processors and retailers".
