Beef talks 'successfully concluded', says Minister for Agriculture
Talks in the long-running beef dispute have "successfully concluded", according to the Agriculture Minister.
However, the Irish Farmer's Association says farmers will be disappointed that there is no increase on the main issue of beef prices.
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has said progress was made on important initiatives aimed at improving transparency along the supply chain, and improving communication between industry and farmers.
Groups representing farmers and the meat industry met at the Department of Agriculture in Celbridge, and agreed on a number of sticking points, including a review of the grid, and a review of the in-spec criteria for the quality payment system bonus.
Despite those developments, the Irish Farmer's Association says that there will be disappointment among beef farmers as there was no increase on the issue of beef prices.
IFA President Joe Healy said the fact that the talks took place on the precondition that price would not be discussed was ignoring the elephant in the room.
He added that with Brexit just 71 days away, strong EU and Government support is urgently required for beef farmers who are in the middle of a severe income crisis.
