Negative response by local farmers to beef summit

 There has been a far from positive local response to the outcome of last night’s meeting between the IFA and meat processors.

While agreement was reached on a number of issues including the postponement of price penalties over weight specifications until the end of 2015 and the introduction of a market price transparency index, with no agreement reached over beef prices Westmeath IFA chairman Gordon Johnson said that “farmers don’t see it as being much ground made”.

Mr Johnson also revealed that no decision has been made on whether farmers would protest again over what they see as the unfair prices currently being paid by beef processors. Prior to yesterday’s Beef Summit in Cellbridge the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission voiced concerns about potential price fixing.

The local IFA man said that he had received a large number of phone calls from Westmeath farmers today, Thursday, and “the feeling is negative”.

Last Sunday and Monday hundreds of local farmers protested outside the Kepak factory in Kilbeggan against the prices being paid by beef processors, which they say are €350 per animal less than their British counterparts.