Tipperary IFA candidate leads busload of farmers to Dublin over beef crisis

Tipperary IFA presidential candidate Tim Cullinan travelled with around 30 North Tipperary farmers to Dublin this week to hand in a letter to the Competition Authority calling on it to tackle the price crisis facing beef and suckler farmers.

He was joined by North Tipperary IFA chair Imelda Walsh.

In the letter, Mr Cullinan called on the authority to investigate what he said was the "cartel in the meat industry".

He urged authority chair Isolde Goggin to launch an immediate investigation into what he said were breaches of the competition laws and and conditions of the purchase of cattle by processors from farmers.

The Ballymackey farmer was last week highly critical of the outcome of the recent beef talks, labelling them a "damp squib".

He said he was not surprised that farmers were back at the factory gates.

Mr Cullinan said that the fact that IBEC was able to speak for all the meat processors at the talks was a clear indication that there was a cartel in operation and it was the authority's role to ensure this practice was stamped out.

He believed it was a breach of competition law and requested the authority to launch an immediate investigation into what he said was a "detrimental cartel" operating in the meat industry and its effects on beef and suckler farmers.

"This matter is of great urgency for beef and suckler farmers. As an immediate step, I am calling on the Competition Authority to call on MII to desist from setting the terms and conditions for the purchase of cattle on behalf of the country's meat processors, specifically the over 30-month age condition, the 70 days on farm residency condition and the four movement condition. These conditions cost farmers €33,520,680 in 2018," he said.