Suckler Farmers Hit by Price Pressure
IRELAND - The pressure on beef prices coming from meat processors could force many suckler farmers out of business.
29 September 2009
1 minute read
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association is worried that weanling prices are now back between €100 and €150 on the same time last year, according to a report in the Irish Examiner.
In the report suckler committee chairman Brendan McLaughlin blames not only the meat plants but also the supermarkets for the pressure on prices.
And he says that the suckler farmers cannot afford to produce store cattle at the current prices.
The report says that it costs €500 a year to keep a suckler cow and weanling prices should not fall below €750 in order to have a fair return.
Mr McLaughlin said that budget cuts to farmers are particularly hitting hard in the drystock sector and farmers will also have to face up to cuts to disadvantaged area payments, REPS and the Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme.
He said that farmers will have to look at cutting back cow numbers.
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