IFA President Eddie Downey has said that a cut in the price being paid by retailers for meat products has 'decimated' many farmers' incomes this year, and that farmers 'feel betrayed' by the 'unacceptable behavior' and lack of corporate responsibility on the part of the powerful retailers and meat factories.
Downey was speaking at a protest outside Tesco Naas, where the IFA called on all major retailers, Tesco, SuperValu, Dunnes, Aldi and Lidl, as well as meat factories, to change their pricing policies.
“With beef prices in our main markets in the UK and across the EU stable and recovering, the current attack on prices led by the factories cannot be justified," said Downey.
He said that Minister Coveney must 'assert his authority' with the factories and demand that they respect the agreement they entered into with farmers on the price grid under the Quality Payment System.
He called on factories remove the unfair specifications cuts on dual pricing, weights, age and breeds, which were never part of the QPS.
