A number of farm organisations have called for the immediate introduction of market support measures for beef following the closure of all McDonald’s outlets in Ireland the UK.

ICSA beef chair Edmund Graham said aid to private storage (APS) could be an option and that the intervention price for beef needed to be reset to ensure price did not fall below current levels.

“In these extraordinary times, it is absolutely vital that we do everything possible to keep cattle farmers in business,” he said.

His calls were echoed by Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) president Pat McCormack. McCormack said along with private storage aid, food products should be given priority status at borders and farmers should be provided with low interest loans and direct support.

Graham said the closure of McDonalds’s represented a loss of over 3,000t of beef per month.

Retail

On a more positive note, he said increased demand for beef on supermarket shelves could help support the beef price. McCormack also said the consumption of dairy had not decreased by any serious metric.

“However, this is not a time for gambling and the introduction of market support measures is vital to keep price stable,” Graham added.

With EU agriculture ministers due to meet by video link on Wednesday 25 March to discuss COVID-19’s impact on agriculture, the ICSA has asked Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to put market supports top of the agenda.

Commission

IFA president Tim Cullinan also said the closure of McDonald's would be a “big blow” to the sector.

Cullinan had written to the European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski last week saying the Commission needed to be ready to support the EU beef market in the event it was affected by the outbreak of coronavirus.

“The Irish beef price is already well below the cost of production for farmers. They cannot sustain any further cuts,” he said.

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