Tesco Ireland has confirmed that it will maintain the same price it is paying for beef up to June 2020, as it has been since the start of the year when COVID-19 wasn’t a factor.
The company said it is very conscious of the pressure that beef farmers are under due to COVID-19, with beef prices falling and other major purchasers and markets disappearing.
“These are unprecedented times for everyone and it makes sense to honour the market conditions for beef as they were pre-Covid-19 in January of this year," said Joe Manning, commercial director, Tesco Ireland.
Essential Service
Tesco Ireland said that it does not negotiate with or pay farmers directly and it has advised its beef processors of its recent decision.
"Beef farmers, as a very busy and critical essential service at this time, need to be supported," Manning noted.
Tesco is one of the biggest purchasers of Irish food and drink in the world and works with 480 Irish food suppliers and by extension 13,000 farming families across the country.
This move is one of a number of measures taken by Tesco Ireland since the COVID-19 crisis began last month.
Among the measures taken is to speed up payments to all its small suppliers, so they are paid within five days, the retailer said.
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