8 Iúil 2014, 18:18
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has this afternoon received an update on the work of the Beef Roundtable, and urged future talks to focus on implementing the recommendations put forward in June.
8 July 2014
The Committee was engaging in private session with Michael Dowling, who chairs the beef roundtable talks between farmers and processors.
Committee Chairman Andrew Doyle says: “As a Committee, we have followed the challenges facing the beef industry in recent months with grave concern. We are acutely aware of the financial strain being felt by winter finishers and bull beef producers in particular as a result of the price cuts and specification changes by processors/retailers. This afternoon we benefitted from a wide-ranging discussion with Michael Dowling, who has been chairing the talks.
“There was a broad welcome within the Committee for the series of commonsense and practical recommendations that emerged from the talks earlier this year. Committee Members were keen to ensure that the Beef Roundtable can continue to make a practical contribution to resolving the crisis, and particularly in improving the lines of communication between processors/retailers and farmers. Conscious of the risk of the Roundtable to become a talking shop, Committee Members are keen that it will serve as a forum to ensure each of the recommendations are acted upon with urgency”.
ENDS
View Committee Membership.
For further information please contact:
Paul Hand,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
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