Allister welcomes launch of review into beef sector
27 January 2007
Jim Allister MEP has welcomed the launch of the red meat task force and hopes that it can identify ways that will ensure that all sectors of the beef chain make a profit. Jim Allister has however warned that this does not need to be a further report that merely goes through the motions without producing any tangible benefits. Jim Allister has stated that Northern Ireland beef farmers are not fools and they will not continue to produce beef at a loss for much longer.
Jim Allister commented, “Figures clearly show that very few beef farmers within Northern Ireland can produce beef without using their single farm payment. It is vital that efficiencies can be found within the beef chain. I therefore welcome the setting up of the red meat task force and hope that this group can identify ways that will ensure that all sectors of the Northern Ireland beef industry can make a profit. It is good to see that this task force includes all parts of the beef sector including the Government, farmer representatives and meat plant representatives.
“In order to survive I believe that difficult decisions are going to have to be made and these should be identified by this task force. I hope that once the task force has come up with findings, these will be implemented by the industry. There have been too many previous reports that have produced fine words but have not had any benefit for the industry. With the introduction of decoupled subsidies, it can and should not be assumed that farmers continue to produce beef at a loss.”
