The ongoing struggle for suckler and beef farmers
By Alison Gray
In recent years beef prices have been gradually spiralling downwards and it is now creating a huge problem for the suckler beef farmer. Many small sized farmers have been forced to set their farm to dairy enterprises and look for off farm work. Farmers aren’t happy with the prices and grades their cattle are acheiving in the factory. Steers are now down to €3.45 per kilo , while heifers are now at €3.55 per kilo. With the new deal of beef being imported from Brazil , it is going to ruin the suckler farmers. Why should we buy in beef that has been mass produced and fed using protein and growth hormones to fatten the animals as fast as possible, when we in Ireland produce high quality animals that have been produced in a healthy environment on a much smaller scale? At this moment in time the only farmer that is doing well is the dairy farmer, but I believe that as there are so many getting into the dairy industry it will have eventually have to go bust.. there will be too many dairy herds in the country and no quality beef animals left in the country. At the end of the day you never see a Friesian steak for sale in the butchers but you will see an Aberdeen Angus or Hereford steak.