Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 October 2021
14. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans for the future of the beef task force; and the consideration he has given to extending its remit in order to secure a fair price for beef farmers. [51705/21]
View answerWhat are the Minister's plans for the future of the beef task force and what consideration has been given to extending its remit in order to secure a fair price for beef farmers? Is the Minister satisfied it has achieved the transparency and equity it set out to achieve?
The beef task force was established on foot of the beef sector agreement of 15 September 2019. Its remit as set out in its terms of reference was to monitor the implementation of the actions arising from that agreement. The task force was to meet at least quarterly from October 2019 for a period of one year after which the task force’s progress was to be reviewed. However, progress was delayed in 2020 due to Covid-19.
As the Deputy may be aware, I requested the independent chair of the task force, Mr. Michael Dowling, to provide a report to me on the progress to date of the task force, which he has done. I will complete my analysis of the final report, after which I will make the necessary decision on future strategic engagement with the sector.
The beef sector agreement contained 38 specific actions. Of these 38 actions, 30 were finite actions that had timelines attached for completion. The remaining eight are ongoing actions, which by their nature are long-term and will continue outside of the context of the beef task force. All documents from the task force meetings, including minutes and updated progress reports, are published on the gov.ie website.
It should be noted that the task force was set up in response to the issues that prevailed in the sector in the late summer of 2019 and had specific actions to address. It is conceivable that it may not be the most suitable vehicle for addressing those that exist in 2021 and beyond. I will make a decision on this shortly. Effective strategic engagement across the beef sector is crucial to its development in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable way that works for all actors in the supply chain and it must work for farmers in particular.
As the Deputy is aware, the determination of price for beef or any other commodity is a commercial matter. However, the Deputy can be assured that my Department and I will continue to support constructive strategic engagement within the sector, as well as measures aimed at strengthening the supply chain, including support for producer organisations and interventions aimed at supporting productive and environmental efficiency for beef farmers in the future. I am also progressing work to deliver the primary legislation required to established the office of the national food ombudsman, which will have a major role in delivering much-needed transparency for the sector.
One of the key tasks that needs to be undertaken is a comprehensive analysis of the impact of factory-owned feedlots in the market, including their impact on the prices and effect on the environment. Figures released by the Department indicate the numbers originating from feedlots has increased drastically. The number of cattle originating from units with feedlot status during the first eight months of 2021 was 224,000, and that puts this year's potential overall kill for animals originating from controlled finishing units well on course to exceed last year's total of 299,000. Last year's figure was, in itself, 10,500 stronger than the figure for 2019, which was 288,500.
When the beef task force was introduced, I predicted it would be a talking shop. I accept I was wrong and it was not even a talking shop. How it could not meet during the Covid-19 pandemic using Skype, Zoom or Microsoft Teams like the rest of us is beyond me.
I completely agree with Deputy Conway-Walsh about feedlots. This growth of cattle coming out of feedlots is very much at odds with the image of Irish beef that the Minister is rightly seeking to portray abroad. It is an idea of cattle happily roaming the pastures green when in fact they may be in feedlots being fed with concentrates.
The 30-month rule was a main item of contention and must be reviewed. It was initially introduced as a measure against bovine spongiform encephalopathy but now we are told it is now an environmental measure. To finish cattle and particularly continental breeds at 30 months, there is a requirement to be fed with concentrates, possibly in a feedlot. Either way those concentrates have a carbon footprint that must be considered. People are seeking to portray the 30-month rule as an environmental measure but it could have the opposite effect.
The task force did valuable work and it was important in bringing all the stakeholders together. The reports were very important, particularly the transparency reports. I am progressing the legislation for the food ombudsman and I can see it carrying out a role there, bringing that much-needed transparency into the food supply chain.
I will reflect on this and it is important we have a structure for engagement over time, working with all stakeholders in the beef sector. I will reflect on how to step forward with the work and outcomes from the task force. I am grateful to Mr. Michael Dowling for the work he carried out. It was challenging and a really difficult time for the sector when it was set up. He drove on the work and I am grateful to him for taking on the role. Transparency is key in this and that is central to my objectives as Minister.
I thank the Minister. Despite the achievements to date, there is still a clear trend for an ever-increasing share of intensive farming driving out the family farms. That is what we are concerned about in the west of Ireland. The other clear trend over the past number of years is for beef prices to get ever lower. The Minister might say for a moment in time, they have increased, but the continued growth of the factory feedlot presents an existential threat to the Irish beef product. Consumers from all over the world buy it because of the image of the cows and farmers in fields, as has been mentioned, and that type of farming.
If the beef produced in this country continues to come from the factory feedlots, so too will that image and that will damage us in the long term.
It is regrettable that cattle coming from feedlots will benefit from the protected geographical indication, PGI, status applied for by the Minister, if his application is accepted. It will mean farmers who produce cattle in a more traditional way, that are never housed and are outdoors, perhaps in the Burren or wherever, during the winter, and are killed off the land must compete with huge feedlot producers. That is what destroyed agriculture throughout North America and we are letting it happen here.
I invite the Minister to consider the 30-months rule and the real impact it has. To finish cattle at 30 months - certainly in the west of Ireland - such as continentals, one must give them concentrate feed. We do not grow soya. It is shipped in and there is a significant carbon footprint associated with that which is not present with grass-finished cattle at 36 months.
I commend Deputy Conway-Walsh on raising this issue. Will the Minister confirm that the suckler scheme in the next CAP will include preventative measures for farmers who want to increase their suckler herds? If so, that would be the second time a scheme would be introduced that seeks to either reduce or limit suckler production in this State, when a similar measure has never been brought in against more environmentally damaging methods, including the factory feedlots referred to? Such a proposition would be counterproductive and prevent the development of what is our most important sector within agriculture.
I disagree with Deputy McNamara in regard to being able to finish animals under 30 months off grass. That practice is done on many farms.
Is it done without concentrates?
It is done with minimal concentrates and without concentrates. The Deputies have seen in their part of the country that many animals are sold in March and, for ten or 12 weeks, are put through a finishing programme that increases their weight and value. That is certainly a common practice and contributes to the overall value of the animal. To qualify for the PGI grass-fed status, animals will have to be fed on 95% grass diets throughout their life, which is an important aspect, and they will have to meet that criteria.
On Deputy Carthy's point in regard to the new beef carbon efficiency scheme, the first ten cows will receive €150 and €120 thereafter, which is an increase from the €90 and €80 available under the beef data and genomics programme, BDGP. There will not be a limit on the number of cows farmers can keep within that scheme.
Can they expand?
I will set a reference in terms of how many will be paid for, but there will not be a limit on farmers increasing their numbers. This is a matter on which I have engaged with farmers throughout the country. My objective is to fully support the suckler farmer to ensure it remains an anchor of our beef sector, to support family farms, and the scheme I put in place will do that.
