Heavy Imports from Irish Republic Hits Beef Prices
UK - Imports from countries whose beef is offered at much lower prices than are paid in the UK upsets farmers because they pull down the value of finished cattle and sustain the huge, and mortally damaging, gap between production costs and market income.
7 December 2007
1 minute read
But not as much notice is taken of imports from the Irish Republic, which are dramatically heavier in volume, carry a substantial discount, and because of heavy placements by two of the most powerful supermarket groups contribute significantly to the UK beef sector’s huge and persistent losses.
It is important to note that the damage caused by discounted Brazilian imports has declined dramatically since 2004 when the emergence of foot-and-mouth disease near Sao Paulo smashed new delivery lines installed by would-be importers that have still to be replaced.
At the same time British farmers began to draw consumer attention to the environmental damage being created by rain forest destruction due to the re-location of Brazil’s cattle ranches following heavy planting in established cattle areas of sugar cane and soya.
Source: Farmers Guardian
