Mayo senator reiterates call for reconvening of Beef Forum

MAYO Fine Gael Senator Michelle Mulherin has reiterated her calls for the Beef Forum to reconvene as protests continue around the country.

Senator Mulherin, who sits on the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee said: “The Beef Forum has not met since before the last Budget, October 2018, when a number of farming organisations pulled out.

“The continuing issues around beef pricing for farmers means serious dialogue needs to happen between farmers, meat processors and the big multiple retailers.

“The Beef Forum is the ideal platform for this and would involve the Minister for Agriculture, Department officials, Bord Bia and other stakeholders coming together.

“I have spoken with the Minister and he has no objection to this group to reconvening at the earliest opportunity.”

Senator Mulherin continued: “I have been regularly calling for the Beef Forum to be revisited in my tenure on the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and as Seanad spokesperson for same.

“I am reiterating this call to all stakeholders including farming organisations as suckler and beef farmers continue to face challenges.

“I am pleased to note that some who had pulled out are changing their view.

“I know from working with farmers that they have legitimate grievances as they are continually forced to sell cattle at below the cost of production.

“The recently announced €100m Beef Exceptional Aid Measure and €20m Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme announced last October to provide financial assistance to beef farmers are a recognition by Government that there is a serious problem for the sector, and we are trying to help.

“We are also facing into a fallout from Brexit with the UK market currently accounting for approximately 50% of our export market.

“However there is no silver bullet as a solution. I believe it is an opportune time for the lines of communication to be reopened between the stakeholders and for these issues to be hammered out.”