Beef in Crisis

Meat processors have said they are willing to explore flexibility around carcase weights, after meeting with the Minster for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney, last night.

Surely this is only a very small part of the problem. Fair enough if they dont want heavy carcass's impose a penalty. Is The base price not the main issue?

sandydan wrote: »

one thing im haveing problem with is ,contract, if supplying on contract to factory, does that tie you hands in who you supply, number of years ago sent 4 fr cows to A factory got cheque for 1600 e. contacted them and useless . following week supplied 2 to another got cheqe for same amount 1600,supplied ballance of cows for similar prices. cant remember weights involved but all cows were similar. gopt phone call a month later telling me they were calling to inspect premises, told them ok bring Cheque for 1600 and go ahead or go to hell. five phone calls later no cheque no inspection. heard nothing since and thats 4 yrs ago

Im a little lost
Why they want to inspect you?
Had you contract with them?
Was their price half the other processer

epfff wrote: »

Im a little lost
Why they want to inspect you?
Had you contract with them?
Was their price half the other processer

there were a few inspected around here at time, why i don't know.as i wasn't fattening cattle at time just disposing of dry cows, it coincided with time of milking parlour inspections at time, i think, i had no contract with them but local man had some deal with them as far as i can figure out i had sent all stock there previous with him. often wondered was it anything to do with getting new herd number after being depopulated due to BSE a few years previous and this was first of batch under new herd number .there was a big number of BSE herds depopulated locally. i had to get another dealer to take them to different factory as 1st chap wouldn't at time , he changed allegiance since afaik. was a bit sour about it at time but chats away now,
btw i still dont know who was due to carry out inspection , factory agent or dept but they didn't and im not inquiring why either. about a month after that i had an inspector call from dept, looked at herd register and checked all cows, said it was routine,id say i lost 300 a head.
can anyone explain about contracts that Coveney is referring to, is it numbers per yr or,supply to only

Damo810 wrote: »

It's Simon Coveney, nothing but empty talk. He'll do **** all, surely we've realised that by now..

not for us anyway but contracts and red tape could frig the lot worse than even weights issue

Due to EU rules the processors will have to give out contracts with in a couple years. However there preferred option will be producer groups. As other posters said contracts are a two edged sword. The other issue is that this will give processors a better idea of supply. They will then manuiplate supply again. The other issue is how can you be sure that lads that are dealing with processors for producers groups will not get a bit more to manuliplate deals

Looks like Castlerea had a fair showing, time for this to heat up a bit now, pressure seems to be growing on our minister according to the news, not far from boiling over it would seem (And I hope! )

Paul Nolan said this evening that cattle will b over 4/kg after mid Nov and will be around the 4/kg next year as they will be 130-140 K less cattle to die next year - if customer demand for beef increases....

ellewood wrote: »

Paul Nolan said this evening that cattle will b over 4/kg after mid Nov and will be around the 4/kg next year as they will be 130-140 K less cattle to die next year - if customer demand for beef increases....

Usually when a processor says tha tit usually happens 3-5 week sooner and the price is stronger. If it happens stores will get more expensive from mid October. If we get a dry autumn I think store prices will remain strong.

AP2014 wrote: »

You ain't a cynic you speak the truth. Big business and donations fund fine gael. Absolutely no pressure on him and fine gael will be voted back into government, with a good slice of their votes coming from farmers. Sickening.

also big business own nice yachts if you like sailing (allegedly) and if you take the fat off the sale of meat you wont get anymore free rides(allegedly) or so ive been told,friends in high places like sailing allegedly:mad:

ellewood wrote: »

Paul Nolan said this evening that cattle will b over 4/kg after mid Nov and will be around the 4/kg next year as they will be 130-140 K less cattle to die next year - if customer demand for beef increases....

Actually heard something like that from another (goodish) source also. When scarcity strikes, it will leave the boot on the other foot. (Look at the price heavy ( > 630Kg) cattle are making at marts right at the moment.)

Yea there seems to be a big change coming alright, I just taught when the likes of Paul Nolan is telling a crowd that he sees a shortage of cattle from November for the next several months something must be a miss, because its not that long ago he was at the Iga beef walk saying nearly the opposite.


Whether its the number of cattle in the country or the protests by the IFA that's changing things I don't know, but I know the IFA get a lot of slack at times but maybe there due a bit of credit on this one - the pickets on several different outlets, supermarkets, mc d's seems to have highlighted the beef price problem fairly well to the general public without causing 1 big headache for the general public like a big march or a tractor cade like march does, it seems the small protest every few days really showed anyone I talked to that its not just moany farmers again but because there still at it there must be a real problem.:(


The real problem tho is that even if Paul Nolan is correct when he says that beef should hover at around the E4.00/KG mark it still wont be a big margin business