The President of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), Joe Healy this week welcomed the news from Agriculture Minister Michael Creed on the reopening of beef exports to Egypt.

The IFA presdient said this is a positive development for the beef sector and another market opened as part of the IFA campaign on market access over the last two years. 
 
Joe Healy called for a strong beef price increase from the meat factories, saying there was a full clear out of retail beef sales over the holiday period and factories are very anxious for cattle again in the New Year. He said a significant price increase is well justified based on strong demand and improved market and exchange rate returns.

Furthermore, the IFA President said winter finishers need a strong price lift as selling cattle out of sheds involves very high costs and at current prices these farmers are encountering serious losses.
 
Against a background of increased cattle supplies of 100,000 head forecast for 2017 and a continuing increase in calf supplies, the IFA claim Ireland needs to get the capacity of the live trade back up to 300,000 to 400,000 head to drive competition and get a balance back into the beef trade capable of delivering viable prices from the market.

Joe Healy said IFA had worked hard in opening up the live export trade to Turkey in 2016 and this had proved critical to the weanling trade throughout last autumn. Healy said it is essential that the trade to Turkey is vibrant again in 2017. 

The IFA President also called for the restrictions on labelling. He said it is "totally unacceptable" that processors and retailers are allowed to "stymie a trade" by unfairly using EU labelling legislation.

IFA President, Joe Healy commented, "It is clear there are real opportunities for Ireland in the live export markets such as Turkey, North Africa (Egypt, Libya, Algeria and Morocco) and Continental Europe and all of these must be actively pursued in 2017."

Source: www.businessworld.ie