How about Fair Trade for Limerick beef farmers? asks Beef Plan Movement

LIMERICK Beef Plan PRO John Moloney said Irish farmers could do with a Fair Trade movement of its own.

He said 2018 was a “dreadful year” for livestock farmers.

“A drought, massive feed costs and all this compounded by a collapse in beef price. Beef farmers may have thought things could not get any worse but 2019 has proven them wrong. The latest crisis is Brexit and once again beef prices are in freefall. Base prices are currently around 25 cent behind prices this time last year running at 3.75/kg.

“Farmers are understandably dismayed as Brexit has not yet occurred. There are currently no tariffs on Irish beef, sterling is virtually the same as this time last year and retail prices are unchanged. Many farmers feel cheated and they believe Brexit is being used as a tool by the meat processors. When one considers it costs between 4.50 and 5.38/kg to produce beef it is easy to understand the pressure farmers are under,” said Mr Moloney, who is a suckler farmer in Martinstown.

He said the Beef Plan Movement recently looked to our soon to be nearest EU neighbours, France, to see how the beef industry there is coping.

“We were surprised to see a co-ordinated approach being adopted by the retailers, processors and farmers. At the end of 2018 the French government introduced the Egalum Law on a two year trial basis.

“The law has three main objectives. The first is to pay farmers a fair price. The other goals include improving the safety, environmental and nutritional quality of products, and promoting a healthy, safe and sustainable diet. This law ties in perfectly with the Beef Plan ethos of returning a cost of production plus a margin to the farmer,” said Mr Moloney.

The Beef Plan Movement also points to articles 38-44 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

“One of its aims is, ‘To ensure a fair standard of living for farmers’. This can hardly be said of Irish farming when one considers gross margin drops of 19% and 11% on suckler and finishing beef farms respectively when compared with 2017. Farmers cannot and should not be expected to supply beef at current prices. Retailers have a social and corporate responsibility to ensure farmers are paid a fair price for their produce,” said Mr Moloney.

He pointed to the Fair Trade brand which he says has achieved great popularity due to its primary objective - to allow consumers ensure that they are supporting farmers in less developed countries in getting a fair price.

“Maybe Fair Trade is required a little closer to home,” concluded Mr Moloney.