Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 26 Jun 2001

Vol. 539 No. 1

Written Answers. - Beef Task Force.

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin

Question:

35 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the progress which has been made at his Department regarding implementing the recommendations of the report of the beef task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18796/01]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh)

The beef task force monitoring committee is responsible for implementing those recommendations in the report of the task force relating to export promotion, price transparency, graded pricing and mechanical classification.

Considerable progress had been made within the monitoring committee on the establishment of a voluntary beef promotion fund, but this was put on hold following the dispute between meat factories and producers last year. As far as price transparency is concerned, my Department publishes, on a weekly basis, cattle prices paid by named individual meat factories. However, it has not been possible to secure agreement between the beef producers and beef processors on a market price transparency system.

With regard to graded pricing and mechanical classification the task assigned to the monitoring committee is to review progress in these areas. Primary responsibility for the implementation of a graded pricing system rests with the beef pro cessing industry itself and, while I appreciate that some progress has been made in this area, I believe that bigger differentials are needed to encourage the production of the type of high quality beef in demand on the European market. As regards mechanical classification, my Department has, in conjunction with three developers from Denmark, Australia and Germany, organised a trial to test the accuracy of three machines in classifying carcases against the EUROP carcase classification scale and in estimating meat yield. The trial showed that mechanical classification has potential but needs to be improved if it is to replace visual assessment. Another test is being carried out by the EU in Germany in September. Experts from my Department will be participating.

The task force recommended that public funds should be provided for the industry and a development programme set up involving capital expenditure for new facilities and the suppression of inefficient operators that are surplus to requirements. The Government has already decided in the context of the national development plan to give priority to the beef sector at primary slaughtering and processing level.

An operational programme to give effect to this has been devised and operating in partnership with the industry itself, should facilitate development and rationalisation in the beef processing industry in a planned way.

The remaining recommendations of the beef task force largely concern primary production and, depending on their nature, are for implementation by the industry itself and by the relevant State agencies, in co-operation with my Department. These recommendations call for an improvement in the quality of cattle through better breeding and husbandry practices to ensure an adequate supply of high-quality beef needed to meet the demands of the EU market. Both Teagasc and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation have intensified their efforts to promote the development of quality breeding by producers.

However, producers' decisions in this area will be based on the extent to which quality production is rewarded. This is primarily a matter for the industry itself.