The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has accused meat processing plants of lowering the price of lamb in the past two weeks, thereby destroying farmers' incomes and stuffing their own pockets.
Criticizing processors, IFA chairman Sean Dennehy said “either the factories sell the lamb very poorly, or they stuff their pockets at the expense of their farm suppliers.”
Dennehy said that the same week last year, mutton prices were 5.80 euros / kg. This week, factories reduced prices to 5.00 - 5.10 euros / kg, which is 70-80 cents / kg or from 14 to 17 euros per lamb below last year's price.
“Since the prices for mutton in supermarkets are the same as last year, farmers believe that factories fill their pockets at the expense of farmers,” said Sean Dennehy. The Chair also said that farmers were very unhappy with reports that some factories imported lambs from Scotland and England through Northern Ireland.
According to him, it is the same if the meat processing plants told their local loyal suppliers that they should reduce the price every week. IFA's chairman of the board urges factories to end the race to the bottom due to lower prices.
