As basic input costs continue to rise for farmers, some proactive UK retailers have attempted to ensure that primary producers are somewhat insulated against rising production costs. The Irish Beef and Lamb Association (IBLA) has now called on Irish retailers to follow the lead of their British counterparts.
The farming organization’s view is that, “Farmers have no more left to give, it’s approaching a point for drastic measures for them. The significant cost increases on Irish cattle and sheep farms will also have to be addressed by the Irish processing and retail industries. It is now time that they considered the key part of the supply chain for once, the primary producers of food, and insulate the farmers so that a profitable margin is passed back to them.”
The IBLA said that Irish cattle and sheep producers will not take any more risks while processors and retailers take the bulk of the profits. “EU subsidies and exchequer top-ups are merely life support mechanisms for the farming industry. UK farmers don’t have that support any longer, and the industry has had to realise that without farmers, they actually have nothing – so they finally have come out to protect farmers and themselves.”
Farmers and retailers’ livelihoods are interconnected, and without a flourishing farming industry many in-store product range will cease to exist.