WATCH: Independent meat regulator top of IBLA’s priorities

A farmer lobbying group is pursuing a campaign for the introduction of a meat regulator as its top priority.

The move is one of the opening gambits of the Irish Beef and Lamb Association (IBLA), an independent group born out of the Beefplan Movement. While a Beefplan Movement group persists, many from the lobbying limb of the organisation separated and rebranded as IBLA last May. Cavan IBLA branch retains the same committee.

County branch secretary Padraig Cunningham and vice chair Kieran Cooney accept that name recognition is something the association must address in the coming months, but like everything else, the pandemic stymied progress on this. They anticipate holding a County Cavan branch AGM and elections in the “near future”.

We have met at Kieran’s 60 acre farm on the outskirts of Ballyjamesduff. Two thirds of his livestock are sheep, and the remaining third are sucklers. He happily shows the Celt around his impressive sheds he built himself, and with the enthusiasm of a doting father shows off a couple of young lambs. It’s the interests of hard working farmers such as Kieran, on relatively modest sized holdings, that the IBLA seek to represent.

“One of the main objectives we have,” says Padraig, himself a beef farmer from Mullahoran, “is to follow up on the introduction of an independent red meat regulator with legislative and investigatory powers to protect everybody – the whole way through, from the primary producer, the wholesaler, the processor, retailer – everybody. So they will all have an equal and fair share of the margin.”

Asked how this proposal for a meat regulator differs from the much discussed Food Ombudsman, Padraig succinctly says it would have “teeth”.

“Currently the Food Ombudsman isn’t independent. It is being set up using employees of the Department for Agriculture. It won’t have the power to investigate and legislate the same way that a regulator would have. In other words, it wouldn’t have teeth.”

Padraig credits the ICSA for first suggesting a meat regulator in 2014. Now the IBLA have lifted the baton and are trying to generate momentum behind the idea nationally. In March 2021 the cathaoirleach Sarah O’Reilly, Aontú tabled a motion at Cavan County Council seeking support for Beefplan’s (as they were then) campaign for a meat regulator. It won unanimous support from across the political spectrum.

“We have canvassed various county councils throughout the country,” said Padraig noting they had approached 16 of the Republic’s 26 local authorities. “The majority of them have all passed a motion to support the adoption of a red meat regulator at national level. Whether it’s a case that we have to follow up and keep pressing on it, and go around the rest of the county councils – we will.”

Kieran gives an example of where he would see a regulator having an impact:

“I want to know the weights of the two white bulls up there – the live weight and the slaughter weight, so I know the percentage kill out of them. And I would know nothing underhanded is going on. If we got a meat regulator in there, that would solve all those problems – I would know someone’s watching my back,” he said.

Taskforce

Another priority concerns the current lack of a forum to address sectoral concerns. The Beef Taskforce concluded in July 2021 with a recommendation to the minister of agriculture to convene a new consultative forum. IBLA members Dermot O’Brien and Enda Fingleton were the only forum members to oppose the move to wind it up.

“We’ve no voice now,” said Kieran, with Padraig agreeing.

The Mullahoran man gives the Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) of Irish grass fed beef as an example of where the Taskforce proved its value. He said that initially Bord Bia was given charge to design it and make the submission to the EU. The lack of farmer participation in the drafting was raised at the Taskforce.

“That’s where farmer input came into it, and left it farmer-owned,” enthused Padraig.

Padraig is pessimistic about the direction of farming in Ireland if IBLA don’t divert its current trajectory. He suspects that the area “north of Mullingar and west of the Shannon” will be dominated with forestry, to offset the major dairy farmers in south Leinster and Munster producing “white gold”.

“The poor Cavan farmer doesn’t see it coming, but he’s going to be covered in trees. It won’t be [just] Leitrim, it’ll be everywhere.”

Listening

On the flipside, Padraig holds Minister Charlie McConalogue in high regard and hopes he retains the post in the event of a cabinet reshuffle. He commends the Donegal man on touring the country meeting farmers in public arenas to discuss the CAP reform, as opposed to just meeting groups behind closed doors.

Equally they also have faith in farmers themselves.

“There’s a lot of good men out there, and there’s a lot of people who will come to you and they have ideas – that’s the thing – listening to them. You learn something every time you meet somebody,” said Padraig.

“I’ve met some fabulous people on the national committee and from other counties,” echoes Kieran. “It’s amazing the interest they have in it - it’d give you a bit of a lift to go on and look around your own area and see what you can do.”

Would they consider resorting to factory gate protests like the Beefplan Movement, or the tractor protests in Dublin by the Independent Farmers of Ireland?

“If we gain the membership, we’ll gain the recognition, then you’re back at the table” says Kieran. “Your voice at the table is an awful lot more powerful than people standing at a gate roaring and shouting.”