Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Rural Independent Group, I welcome this motion introduced by Fianna Fáil. Beef farmers face an uncertain future and nowhere more than in west Clare do we realise that. In many parts of rural Ireland small beef farmers are under severe threat, receiving low prices for their beef cattle at the factory and at the mart. Even a negotiated Brexit will result in many beef farmers' livelihoods becoming unsustainable.

In an effort to maintain sustainability, a new movement, Beef Plan, has been developed. It is a growing movement offering an alternative to the existing meat factory proposing better prices and more control over the industry. Many farmers sell their cattle at prices well below the cost of production and Brexit will drive many farmers out of business. The Beef Plan meetings that have been held around the country have attracted up to 400 farmers demanding a changed percentage that they get for their product. Many farmers get only 20% of what the consumer pays for their product, with 50% going to supermarkets and 30% going to the meat factories. That is unsustainable.

Beef Plan proposes a minimum basic price for beef which covers production plus a sustainability margin. It organises farmers into groups which can represent themselves and, most important, it proposes to create a fair trade brand to allow customers to know that the product they are buying is from a producer who has been treated fairly and has been paid a fair price. This is a ground-up movement. Without this, farmer viability is not sustainable and the industry will collapse.

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