Minister must intervene in Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group

Macra are calling on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue to intervene in Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group impasse. Macra national president John Keane, said “Macra has the same objections with Beef and Sheep Food Vision report as it has with the Dairy Food Vision report, these are namely:

• No succession pathways for youth into the sector
• Measures to reduce production on farm
• Removing opportunity from the sector
• Lack of committed funding
• Unrealistic expectations for uptake of certain measures

Previously Macra rejected a number of proposals in The Food Vision Dairy Groups final report that are similar in affect to measures proposed in the Beef Food Vision Groups proposals.

Mr Keane said “there is obvious unhappiness among the memberships of the group, what is needed now is constructive negotiation on the measures. The Minister must intervene at this point and engage in real negotiations with those serious about creating a future for farmers in the beef sector.”

Macra is committed to securing a future for all farmers particularly those in the beef sector which the majority of our farmers are active in. We now need to see real negotiations with the Minister to reach an agreement.

Mr. Keane concluded that “young farmers are all too aware of the changes we need to make on farm. Science and research show that we are the ones who will implement the change that is needed, which will benefit the environment and also the economic performance of our farms.”

Date of Press Release: 21st November 2022.