THE DEPARTMENT OF Agriculture will be hoping that a new app tracking beef factory prices will go some way to easing the woes that farmers have been facing over the past year.

It is hoped that by making factory prices more easily accessible, the Beef Pricewatch App will bridge an information gap that has been a source of frustration for farmers.

News of the new app came in a response to a parliamentary question by Kerry TD Tom Fleming to the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney.

In response to the question Minister Coveney also specified that controlling factory beef prices was outside of his department’s remit.

Also in response to the question from Deputy Fleming, Minister Coveney said:

The price paid to farmers for their animals by meat processing factories is a commercial transaction and neither I nor my Department has any influence on prices. I do, however, have an important role to play in providing strategic direction and investment support to the sector.

Farmer’s response 

The IFA’s National Livestock Chairman Harry Burns responded to the advancement by saying, “the missing link in the supply chain is wholesale prices, or the prices the factories sell beef products to the retailers for. The IFA has asked Minister Coveney and Bord Bia to supply these prices in order that there can be open price transparency in the supply chain.”

This initiative arose out of meetings of the Beef Forum which included representatives from a number of organisations including the IFA, Teagasc and Bord Bia.

As part of the forum the introduction of Producer Organisations (POs) was also proposed. These POs play a role in creating greater market organisation and helping the industry towards greater sustainability.

Bord Bia has also expanded its marketing budget by €0.5 million to promote Irish beef in markets across Europe.

Read: Coveney defends himself after criticism that he’s not on top of the beef crisis

Also: Farmers protest outside Burger King over Irish beef prices