This article is from page 59 of the 2007-05-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 59 JPG
THE future of the Irish sheep indus- try hangs in the balance this week as continued low prices offered by factories 1s on the verge of causing a mass exodus from the sector. The IFA has called on factories to up the price offered per lamb by as much €10 per lamb as a matter of urgency. Speaking following a _ meeting with the lamb factories in Dublin on Thursday, IFA National Sheep Committee Chairman, Henry Burns, said on sheep farmers need a price increase of €8 to €10 per lamb from the meat factories over 2006 price
levels just to stay in business.
‘Unless the factories are capable of returning a viable price to farmers for lamb, above the costs of produc- tion, the sector will continue to de- cline. Farmers are not going to sub- sidize lamb production by eroding their single farm payment,” he said.
‘Factories and agents talking down prices and trying to buy lamb cheap- er are acting highly irresponsibly and inflicting further damage on an already difficult situation.”
An IFA National Sheep Committee delegation led by Henry Burns met with representatives of Meat Indus- try Ireland including Kepak, Irish
Country Meats and Dawn Meats on the excessive cuts in lamb prices last week.
With production costs for spring lamb running at €90 to €100 per head, Burns commented that the meat factories know and accept that farmers cannot produce lambs at un- viable prices below the costs of pro- duction.
He continued that the IFA put the economic facts very strongly and clearly to the meat factories. “The meat plants accept that lamb prices must rise in order to restore viability at farm level,’ he continued. “The factories indicated they expect pric-
es to stabilise for the month of May. Last year lamb prices were in the or- der of €4.50/kg for most of May.
‘The factories said all of the main retailers will complete the changeo- ver to spring lamb this week and this should drive consumption and boost demand.”
He continued to say that Bord Bia have brought forward to this week a nationwide radio advertising cam- paign on Radio | and 16 local sta- tions, which should also increase domestic demand and that there was a major level of responsibility on the factories to stabilise the market and ee (one