At the Minister for Agricultures request, farm groups and processors have agreed to engage in intensive discussions over the next two weeks on the commercial issues in dispute between farmers and processors, under an independent chair, Mr. Michael Dowling. Yesterdays meeting, the third meeting of the Beef Roundtable, had a wide-ranging agenda and maintained a focus on the strategic development of the beef sector. Concluding yesterday the Minister said “I am fully aware that beef farmers have had a challenging year having seen reduced prices for their animals compared to this time last year. I welcome the honest exchange of views between stakeholders today. There are areas of disagreement between stakeholders in the sector right now, but this simply reinforces the need for constructive dialogue on issues of strategic importance. This Beef Forum is a vehicle for this kind of engagement and I am grateful to those who have agreed to participate today.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 12:41:38 +0000