IFA finally goes French

Rebelheart

Finally, the IFA and potato farmers in the Meath area have brought to our attention that Irish potatoes have been removed from Tesco's Irish stores, and replaced with potatoes from Britain.

They brought their protest to a hotel in Ashbourne within which Tesco management, including the British chief executive of the firm Terry Leahy, were meeting.

The hotel management called An Garda Síochána who ejected the Irish farmers and protected the British decision-makers in Tesco.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0519/tesco.html


I am glad this development has been brought to our attention. Our farmers need to be more French and bring this campaign to the people, be it on the airwaves or outside Tesco stores. This is one campaign they can definitely win.

Captain-America

They have my support.

dr.bollocko

Moved from AH.

Rebelheart

It's not just a farming issue. It's a public issue. Would you move a thread about campaigns and job losses in other areas from AH?

brianthebard

Fully support such actions.

Tipsy Mac

Why are they protesting, we are in the EU common market, they are one of the biggest beneficiaries of the market. If it was potatoes sourced from outside the EU I would fully support them but unfortunately they are not.

BENDYBINN

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

Why are they protesting, we are in the EU common market, they are one of the biggest beneficiaries of the market. If it was potatoes sourced from outside the EU I would fully support them but unfortunately they are not.

fully agree, what if the british farmers decide to do likewise and demand irish beef be removed from tesco stores in britain?

Jip

BENDYBINN wrote: »

fully agree, what if the british farmers decide to do likewise and demand irish beef be removed from tesco stores in britain?

Absolutely, but don't talk such sense around here Bendybin, this subject is all about hysteria and protectionism.

Bitten & Hisses

The decision to import French potatoes has more to do with Tesco protecting their own margins than affordable food for the masses. I'm not the biggest IFA fan by any means, but this is the kind of action they need to take.

Jip

Again, Tesco, Dunnes and Superquinn are perfectly entitled to do what they're doing to protect their margins, a business is a business. They take advantage of the common market as Tipsy Mac points out whenever it suits them so what they did yesterday cannot be justified.

Bitten & Hisses

Yes, they are entitled to do whatever they want, but if they were to continue unchecked, they'd wipe out our farmers.

newman10

As regards this Tesco/Dunnes/SV importing food this whole issue goes back quite a few years to the change in shopping habits which developed in the last 15 years.

My Family ran a Mom and Pop store in a small country Town and through their business they helped rear many family by giving credit "tick" or in some occasions small loans to help people until the calf/cattle/sheep were sold or would have waited until the father came home from the beet/labouring with Murphys.

So now lets step forward a little and now Tesco/Dunnes have opened a large supermarket 20 miles away and because of the perception of value my parents start loosing business to the once a week or the Sunday opening day out.

We felt better that we no longer had to face the fellow who knew what the circumstances in the house were. We went to the supermarket and forgot all about the country shopkeepers who kept our families afloat until we heard there was a death in the family and someone in the house remarked "God he/she was good to us when X died/was born/at christmas"

As it is a rural Town the vast majority of customers had an Agricultural background and imo by neglecting their own small towns and villages they laid the seeds of whereby the supermarket now dictates what and where product will be sold.

So here we are today with rural Ireland giving out about Tesco/Dunnes/SV but they fail to look at what part they played in the Urbanisation of this Country

End of rant

Rebelheart

Jip wrote: »

Again, Tesco, Dunnes and Superquinn are perfectly entitled to do what they're doing to protect their margins, a business is a business. They take advantage of the common market as Tipsy Mac points out whenever it suits them so what they did yesterday cannot be justified.

Yes, they are. We are also entitled to know about it so we can be entitled to spend our money aware of this. What the IFA did yesterday - bring this change in policy to the public's attention - is completely justified.

johnstown

Tesco are entitled to source their produce from wherever they like. However, local businesses and suppliers generate substantially greater economic impact in a community than large chains like Tesco. How much is Tesco spending on local produce in the average store? Where do the profits go? We have all heard of the Walmart effect and how they have destroyed local economies in small town USA. I think the IFA were right to do what they did just so people are aware of where the produce comes from. The sad thing is we all shop in these stores because they deliver cheaper goods through economies of scale and supplier pressure.

Jip

Rebelheart wrote: »

Yes, they are. We are also entitled to know about it so we can be entitled to spend our money aware of this. What the IFA did yesterday - bring this change in policy to the public's attention - is completely justified.

The IFA haven't highlighted it, it's been public knowledge for weeks now.

The head of the IFA, Padraig Walshe I think it was, was on the Last Word yesterday evening and spoke like a true politician. He was asked the question 3 times on what would they think if UK porducers retaliated and done the same thing, protesting about Irish products in UK stores, and he refused to answer the question all 3 times.

newman10

johnstown wrote: »

Tesco are entitled to source their produce from wherever they like. However, local businesses and suppliers generate substantially greater economic impact in a community than large chains like Tesco. How much is Tesco spending on local produce in the average store? Where do the profits go? We have all heard of the Walmart effect and how they have destroyed local economies in small town USA. I think the IFA were right to do what they did just so people are aware of where the produce comes from. The sad thing is we all shop in these stores because they deliver cheaper goods through economies of scale and supplier pressure.[/QUOTE]

Have to agree but there is no going back

newman trueman

This whole episode is a non story from a potato persepctive. Tesco and Dunnes both have Irish roosters, records, etc. on their shelfs. So do the others. They all have some potatoes that do not grow in Ireland on sale. The whole Irish and non Irish split is similar if we visit both of them.

The potato variety the farmers had in the hands was a Desiree variety which does not grow in Ireland. Can do but doesn't. They were bags of it in the pictures and lying around the hotel for any journo to check the facts. Some people said it was purchased in NI. If you want some, it sells in Marks & Spencers and has done for some time without any protests (as far as I can tell). Correct me if wrong here.

The protest was based on the farmers believing Tesco would be bringing in British potatoes in place of roosters etc. Why did they believe this? Because they had been told that. By whom? Let's see who can answer that one.....

The farmer named in the Independent paper on Wednesday is Eddie Downey. I am not sure he is a potato farmer yet he turned up on a number of shows the next day talking as if he is....and spinning the same story.

Other more interesting points. Why were the TVs cameras from RTE there in the hotel to watch the door being pushed through? Joe O'Brien from RTE must have good timing. Is it a co-incidence that Mairead McGuinness used to work for RTE and is canvassing the farmer vote? She turned up shortly after the protest according those in the know. She is a mate of Joes. Oh and her husband used to be a potato farmer.......

More to this story than the reported non story then.......

Why dis no journos pick up on any of the above even the obvious stuff. A quick chat with people in the hotel could tell you a lot...is it bacause they are not very good....?