NEWS

Red Meat Industry Task Force conference update
By Staff Reporter

FARMGATE prices have risen by one third since the establishment of the NI Red Meat Industry Task Force and for the first time since 2005, farmgate share of retail prices has exceeded 50 per cent.
While this relatively good news was highlighted at the Task Force Conference on Wednesday, producers and processors were warned that the industry continues to face extremely challenging times ahead.
A big issue facing the industry is CAP post 2013 which was addressed by Jose Diogo Santiago Alberquerque from the EU Directorate General and while no definitive decision has been made by Brussels as yet on the future of the Single Farm Payment, delegates were advised that the industry needs to ensure that the existing practice of using this payment to cover the cost of loss-making production is eradicated.
“The original Task Force Report highlighted unequivocally the stark reality of the unprofitability of red meat production in Northern Ireland which was being bolstered by Single Farm Payment,” explained Mr Pat O’Rourke, Chairman, NI Red Meat Industry Task Force.
“This was a painful message and did bring criticism from some quarters that we were painting an unnecessarily depressing picture of an industry losing £200m annually.
"However, it was and continues to be the Task Force’s clear view that if our industry is to be sustainable post CAP reform in 2013, then we need to ensure that red meat production is sustainable as a stand-alone enterprise."

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September 25th 2009
September 18th 2009