When Pat Smith went to Connaught and west of Ireland meeting threatening Regionalisation to those looking for Convergence in 2014 it was a disgrace. The IFA opened a door for farmers west of Athlone from Mizen Head to Mallen Head who duly exited in droves. They also pulled there levies from marts. The IFA membership numbers do not show the true decline as they now encourage members to register there spouses and family to hide loss of numbers
IFA would often co opt an ad hoc project team for specific issues, People who'd have an interest and talent forthe problems at the time...... I wouldn't put much credence on it. They'd employ top professionals on itas well. I wouldn't be surprised if IFAs' problems were terminal at this stage
I am chair in local ifa ,all the small farmers all pay thier due and are happy with their representation but all the lads well able to pay and get most benefit wont pay their membership .5 big local beef finisher who all got 100/finished animal from ifa lobbying none renewed their membership .I really think it is a sinking ship but when it is gone the big farmers will lose the most .It just shows greed by alot of farmers not paying a couple of hundred for all the representation they get .By the talk on here you would swear every ifa officer is on a wage ,I wonder how long more alot of them will bother with the great support they get from fellow farmers .I think Ifa have some of the most forward thinking farmers in their ranks the likes of harold Kingston really impress me
From what I understand it was an ad-hoc group, selected elected officers, some senior staff and a small group if so called ordinary members.
Even after the cull of staff last year they are still hemorrhaging cash. From the look of it the beef farmers were paying a sh!t load of money in for poor representation. Now that they have stopped paying the levy and many no longer being members those that the IFA represent will have to pay for IFA lobbying out of there own pocket not your or mine Jjamenson.
When they actively went against convergence they lost the west of Ireland to the INHFA, they lost beef farmers through neglect so the larger lad they represent will now have to finally stump up and pay fir there own lobby group
Killed 10 during all grass no meal the week ave 1.3kgs a day from going to grass 13th March(weighed getting out of the shed)to last Wednesday. All hex and aax all under 30 months. Best did from 430kgsLW on 13th March to killing out at 350kgsDW hex thrived from 1st day at grass and lightest did from 450kgsLW to kill out at 299kgsDW. Graded Os happy out.
I haven't been to a meeting in years, thankfully Irish Agriculture doesn't affect me much now apart from my hobby.
I can't see IFA surviving now with the way it's losing money and the lack of importance of agiculture politically or economically to this country.
There's a few that IFA've hired that I wouldn't have agreed with, and they let some go, apart from the retirees, that were good operators
I'm always amused by farmers that are and have to be subsidised up to the hilt criticising a successful business such as IFJ, Like all businesses IFJ have to produce what sells, It must be working for them if they can waste money the way they are in Tullamore
I think that is s bit harsh. I bought the rag for the third time this year. The other two times were also because of CAP headline.
It's really a redtop now sorry yellow top. A whole front page consigned to selling the paper. The only real insight was on suckler's the rest about CAP was recycled news.
What was frightening was it continual pushing if a suckler agenda.
As well I hear that the IFA had a crisis meeting in Portlaois regarding finances. Wrangler can you give an update. It was for selected attendee's only so you may not have been invited. I heard they wanted solutions not wafflers.
On the rag itself when you throw the machinery section in the recycling bin and give the better half the country/living section there is not much left for 3.30 euro, there is more in the FI now for 2.20 and you get s bit of general news as well.
In your efforts to demonize the factories (or the cartel as you call them) and link the IFJ into the conspiracy theories your own analysis is woefully lacking in logic. As the judge (Declan Costello) once said, it does violence at once to the English language and commonsense.
I do not think that any processor's gives a fook about anything.....except to what they can get away with. Processor's have shown an ability to adapt to any situation. They have been challenged over the February price pull and put it down to Brexit. The government is in the mind to put a beef ombudsman as opposed to s regulator.
John Gotti did not give a fook he was in prison by the time he was 53 and spend the rest of his life in prison. Add in Sean Quinn, Sean Dunne and Sean Quinn the last downturn was hard on the Sean's.
There is a political saying when you are explaining you are losing. MII were explaining after February ......the processors will not want them explaining again.
I am not too sure about lads filling sheds if they feel the rug will be pulled from under them. The economics of winter finishing has changed. You are risking 10k's now not a few thousand. It has become very technical. Buying skill around the ring will only take you so far and that swallow's time. I saw a lad having a stool at one of the cubicles around the ring yesterday....just on that they can no longer hope to squeeze in if they go away for a break whether it's a p!SS or a sandwich.
There a lot of U30 month cattle gone already
Where are they going to from carnew? The boat?
Absolutely spot on.
The factories couldn’t give a damn about the Irish Uk price difference. they never have.
It’s the same old story. Cattle will be 30 months and will have to go. They couldn’t care less about attention being drawn on them about the cartel either. How many times have complaints being made to the competition authority without success?
Also, lads will still fill their sheds this winter and feed away. I’d say this chat comes up every year on this thread.
The risk of missing out on making money always seems to be greater than the risk of losing it.
you can talk all day about the above. Factories don’t give a flying fook. If the wet weather continues, price will be pulled and farmers will panic and they’ll get cattle. I think best we can hope for is to hold them at €4 for steers.
Lot of people don't understand that low Net profit means you stripped out as much of it before net profit was arrived at.
Aiming for zero net profit is often the most efficient way to go.
An exceptionally strong British beef price that is strengthening. There is over 50c/kg in the difference that is over 180 euro on a 350kg carcase. There is absolutely no sub 2 year old store bulls in the system this year the processors have squeezed them out of the system. Even the 16 months old continental bull has disappeared. If they pull prices now they will have to indicate that they are willing to pay for November/December beef. Too many lads burnt over the last two years winter feeding. Winter beef ration will cost 280-300/ton. They can only feed so many in there own feedlots. While they may pull by 5-10c/kg a sustained pull will knock too much confidence out of the system.
As well like I said it could draw unwanted attention to the cartel
They do it every year (usually at the sight of the first wet week). Why would this year be any different.
The processors are caught in a conundrum they would love to pull prices. However the British beef price is 50c/ kg higher and strengthening due to a large deficit in beef. Pulling prices could see a flood of cattle going North or going to the UK abbatoir system. As well it might send the wrong signal to winter finishers who are hesitant about feeding cattle this year. As well at present cattle are flowing through the system, there is still 50k less cattle to kill before year end any interruption might deter lads feeding lighter cattle to kill off grass. Any concerted pull might also bring unfavorable attention from the EU competition authority.
I am not saying any of the above in particular might stop them but normally but as a combination they may be inclined to keep it steady as it goes until next year's glut happens.
It's well known that if one supermarket gets an 'offer' the others go to the factories and like a child 'look at he got i want the same'. They follow each others prices like a hawk including across the pond. This ripple effect bares out to be bigger than just two domestic shops.
I'm not pro factory or anything I hope prices hold for the rest of the year they should in truth but ya know yourself once numbers appear. The funny thing is all the meat gets eaten!
The journal did an analysis on Foyle meats latest figures and the profit margins were 2.7% which they calculate 40e approx per head. Interesting insight.
Why do you reckon there was still a chance of them rising? I think if they hold what there at it won’t be too bad
Two things outside the trade has happened. Alot of the big supermarkets had 'promotions' for beef in the last while discounted by up to 33% in some places. I'd say the factories took a hit in last few weeks in order to fulfill contracts.
The factories in turn have instructed their feed lot buyers to stay back from the sales ring.
Have they attempted to drop them back your way?
Is that official or are they trying to attempt to pull them? 4.25 was easy got back our way this week,
Back ten cent next week in our town.
They made an absolute mess of the new site.should have left it alone.
Some lads get caught up in flat pricing. At 4.25 base a U- bullock is making 4.57 under 30 months, 4.45 from 30-36 months and 4.37 over 36 months.
I moved some over 36 month cattle myself and I just clarified that there was no deductions from the base for them compared to other years
Poor price if most were under 36months
if the heavy rain that’s promised comes, it’ll tell a bit about whether the factories try to pull them. Often a wet wet week at this time could result in a 10 cent drop.
Factory buyers are no fools so they aren't going to give much more than they are worth in the marts. What I seen with my own yesterday was they were getting up near their finish / factory price quick enough but then an extra €20 - €30 would come along slowly. That would never have came with the lads around d ring staring one another out of it two years ago. Then you have 5 - 10 minutes after they are sold to make up your mind which is good too. Anyone selling at the minute I would say sould look at both & then pick their cattle to suit each. That or get a factory agent who is willing to guarantee a price.
Feeding silage here also to one group of cattle. Definitely power gone from grass in the last 3 weeks.
Was chatting to a neighbour yesterday and he said he got 4.40 flat for u grade bullocks one was 40 months. He got that price last week I didn’t ask where it was.
Gortatlea bate all fri for fr blks. 30 months around 500kg all made 2 euro per kg. These wer too big for next year and too poor for this year unless your ration junkie.
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