Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Irish Beef vs Mercosor Beef

Options
  • 17-09-2019 9:20pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭


    Can someone explain why Irish farmers are so afraid of beef imported from South America?

    IS IT BECAUSE,

    They keep mentioning CHEAP BEEF IMPORTS, but how can beef from South America (with travel included) be cheaper in Ireland than in Brazil.

    Have we been strung along ?

    Beef farmers only earn €10000 per year(ha ha ha) but get hundred of thousands extra from EU to not farm (set-aside is the one I know by name), in order to keep the sale price high.

    As well as EU benefits, irish farmers are treated really well on tax, inheritance, education grants, .....basically all taxes on ordinary people.

    I buy bulk beef products, irish reared, but slaughtered in UK, for ONE THIRD OF THE PRICE, charged by irish butchers

    EXPLAIN


«13

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 734 ✭✭✭longgonesilver


    Where do you buy your beef?

    Are they online?


  • Registered Users Posts: 81,220 ✭✭✭✭biko


    Shop local
    Support local


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭onetimecypher




  • Registered Users Posts: 574 ✭✭✭ste



    I buy bulk beef products, irish reared, but slaughtered in UK, for ONE THIRD OF THE PRICE, charged by irish butchers

    EXPLAIN

    What's your beef (of choice) buddy?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭onetimecypher


    Usually whole rib of beef (boneless ribeye 2.5kg about €25) compared to Tesco at €19 per kg , and Santry butcher at €27 per kg


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭onetimecypher


    It seems so far that everyone is questioning the veracity of my statement, rather that questioning why it is cheaper to eat South American beef than beef reared on your next door farm.

    The other statement about revenue, state, and EU tax breaks breaks are another story


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭onetimecypher


    Watching Primetime. Farmers want a guaranteed per kilo price for their beef, going forward in contravention of EU deals.

    I had a deal in wages, but after the crash in 2008/2010, Eu and government cut my wages by 28%.

    Supply and Demand, no guarantees

    Why should farmers be different, after getting treated so well fo so long


  • Registered Users Posts: 30,736 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06



    Appears to be a trade only service?

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭onetimecypher


    https://www.branaganmeats.com/trade-counter

    Very busy LOCAL business, with huge non-irish support, because of their flexibility of slaughtering/cuts


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,505 ✭✭✭touts


    biko wrote: »
    Shop local
    Support local

    That's starting to ring a little hollow to the 6000+ "local" people who have lost their jobs in meat factories due to the illegal blockades by beef farmers. To them and their families I suspect South American beef will seem far more socially just than buying from the bollox down the road living on his 200 acre farm who cost you your job.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 10,423 ✭✭✭✭Outlaw Pete


    We have a great reputation abroad for our beef, to such a degree that America offered use a small fortune for a very large amount of 100% grass fed beef on an annual basis that we couldn't meet. They ended up doing a deal for less money and guaranteeing it would be at least 80% grass fed.

    Some chap in California actually a brought a legal case against Kerrygold Butter around the same time in the states when he found we are not all 100% grass fed. He lost the case though as he couldn't prove that Kerrygold were suggesting grass was all the cows ever eat.

    I know we have some great beef here and farmers do their best, and 100% grass fed is not always possible of course, but was a time when more effort was put in to adhere to better standards. Now more cattle are finished on grain here than ever before.

    Mostly the Irish Beef I buy I am happy with from a taste perspective, but I'd say 1 in 5 times I buy beef it's not the greatest.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭ruwithme


    It seems so far that everyone is questioning the veracity of my statement, rather that questioning why it is cheaper to eat South American beef than beef reared on your next door farm.

    The other statement about revenue, state, and EU tax breaks breaks are another story

    its cheaper beef simply because its reared and slaughtered in south America. if irish farmer's had south American input costs and all other associated costs they could produce it also cheaper. as for the shipping costs the volume would be large i,de imagine so not a huge cost to the end user.


  • Registered Users Posts: 30,736 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    https://www.branaganmeats.com/trade-counter
    Very busy LOCAL business, with huge non-irish support, because of their flexibility of slaughtering/cuts

    Why dont they sell to the general public or advertise as such if they do so?

    You are promotimg one single business which seems to be trade only ie wholesale. Not realistic to compare prices there to Tesco.

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭onetimecypher


    Reputation buys you nothing, especially after 1 or 2 scandals (foot+mouth, BSE etc)

    Everyone wants to buy Irish (especially the yanks and chinese), but dosen't mean squat when world **** hits the fan


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭onetimecypher


    ruwithme wrote: »
    its cheaper beef simply because its reared and slaughtered in south America. if irish farmer's had south American input costs and all other associated costs they could produce it also cheaper. as for the shipping costs the volume would be large i,de imagine so not a huge cost to the end user.

    Bull Cow ****


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭onetimecypher


    Farm next door to me, no shipping involved, slaughterhouse less than 10km away, still charges me 4 times, YES 4 TIMES, what I get charged for an irish steer EXPORTED TO UK, SLAUGHTERED AND DELIVERED TO MY HOUSE.

    Wake up smell the coffee


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭ruwithme


    Bull Cow ****

    If i made a mistake on that,all it was that i shouldn't have bothered posting on your thread as you know it all already in your own head.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,530 ✭✭✭Car99


    Can someone explain why Irish farmers are so afraid of beef imported from South America?

    IS IT BECAUSE,

    They keep mentioning CHEAP BEEF IMPORTS, but how can beef from South America (with travel included) be cheaper in Ireland than in Brazil.

    Have we been strung along ?

    Beef farmers only earn €10000 per year(ha ha ha) but get hundred of thousands extra from EU to not farm (set-aside is the one I know by name), in order to keep the sale price high.

    As well as EU benefits, irish farmers are treated really well on tax, inheritance, education grants, .....basically all taxes on ordinary people.

    I buy bulk beef products, irish reared, but slaughtered in UK, for ONE THIRD OF THE PRICE, charged by irish butchers

    EXPLAIN


    Have some actually said the only earn 10k per year? If it's so **** and paye workers have SW to fall back on as was said by some farmer when he was asked what about the people layed off . Why don't they sell their valuable assets and join the lucky paye worker?
    Why are they subsidised to work/live the life they want rather than engage in a viable sustainable way of life?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,935 ✭✭✭enricoh



    Do they make aldi sausages? I think so, absolutely vile sausages.
    Best of luck with the brazilian beef op, chop down that stupid rainforest n load up the cattle with growth hormones. Tis great stuff!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭onetimecypher


    Oh yes quoted on all news bulletins.

    To become PAYE worker, need to get rid of assets (CAS, inheritence Tax etc), GET A JOB and PAY TAX. lose all grant and educational benefits etc

    Suddenly become low income earners and PROTEST OUTSIDE MEAT PROCESSORS GATES


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 2,530 ✭✭✭Car99


    enricoh wrote: »
    Do they make aldi sausages? I think so, absolutely vile sausages.
    Best of luck with the brazilian beef op, chop down that stupid rainforest n load up the cattle with growth hormones. Tis great stuff!

    And what happened to ireland/Europe's forests ? Cut down for agriculture, progress. Yes that was along time ago but we shouldn't preach to Brazil about something we've already done . Should we pay them to let their in forests in place to compensate for our emissions , probably.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,530 ✭✭✭Car99


    Oh yes quoted on all news bulletins.

    To become PAYE worker, need to get rid of assets (CAS, inheritence Tax etc), GET A JOB and PAY TAX. lose all grant and educational benefits etc

    Suddenly become low income earners and PROTEST OUTSIDE MEAT PROCESSORS GATES

    The farmers need ethnic minority status , it's their way of life , tradition. We should subsidise it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,138 ✭✭✭realitykeeper


    Quorn meat substitute is quite good and it is nice knowing no animal was harmed in making it. I think Irish farmers should grow fruit and veg. Ideally farmers should be young and not in their eighties so incentives are needed so that farms get passed on to the young. Retirement homes may want the farms as collateral for caring for old farmers but to me that is like saying we should all just lie down and die.

    So, I say give young farmers the land and encourage agricultural education and entrepreneurship.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 6,854 Mod ✭✭✭✭eeeee


    Much higher welfare (grass fed, regular farm inspections, ) and environmental (not reared off slash and burn former rainforest, maintaining Irish countryside) standards, a lot, lot less medication during the animals lifetime, and all medication noted and signed off on.
    Proper testing and clearance before slaughter for diseases such as TB and BSE.
    Much, much, much more stringent testing, quality assurance, veterinary, environmental and welfare standards. Much, much higher standards in factories for slaughter and processing, Less food miles.
    I could go on.

    All reasons not to eat Mecorsor meat.

    If people had half an idea of the difference in quality, as well as they environmental, welfare and quality standards they wouldn't touch it.
    Of course there is quality meat reared in the Mecorsor countries, but it's not what'll be coming on the boat to us.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭onetimecypher


    You think that irish chickens or eggs or pork or lamb or even BEEF go thru all that?

    Not long ago,

    Eat only 1 egg a week
    White bad bad for you
    Brown bread bad for you
    Margarine good for you
    Butter Bad for you


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 6,854 Mod ✭✭✭✭eeeee


    Quorn meat substitute is quite good and it is nice knowing no animal was harmed in making it. I think Irish farmers should grow fruit and veg. Ideally farmers should be young and not in their eighties so incentives are needed so that farms get passed on to the young. Retirement homes may want the farms as collateral for caring for old farmers but to me that is like saying we should all just lie down and die.

    So, I say give young farmers the land and encourage agricultural education and entrepreneurship.

    LOL.

    There's an awful, awful lot of land that can't grow fruit and veg in anywhere near a sustainable way, the one I was reared on and still help out on for one.

    There aren't queue's of young farmers chomping at the bit to take over the family farm - quite the opposite. Fcuk all farming families can carry it on, including my own. Once my father goes the land will be set, most probably to the only young farmer in our area. The majority of farms in my area where the farmer has retired or died have gone into a monocultural foreign species forestry. Ours is one of the few left in our end of the area.
    Most of the children of farmers where I'm from did what I did and left, or got a job at something else.

    Our farm at home is incredibly rich environmentally, the father never pulled down hedges for subsidies and headage in the 80's and 90's, but it has barely broken even for the last 35 years.
    No one's lining up to take on marginal land. It's all disappearing to non-native monocultural forestry.
    There's an awful lot of history, biodiversity and beauty lost to planting. Our farm won't be planted in my lifetime, but who knows after that? ALl teh famine houses, fairy forts, full fiachra's, the stream, the 20 acres of unfarmable wilderness we call the mountain - all pulled up for forestry.
    The generations of lives that made that land, the stories, the history, the social history of it.
    Gone.
    Small beef operations keep that land and it's attendant biodiversity going, and those at it are dying off, and with them all of the above.
    That's the reality.

    Fantasies about people living in idealised small holdings in remote areas, neglected for decades, without any opportunities for employment, services, broadband, public transport or further education are just that, fantasies.
    Rural Ireland is dying in vast swathes of the country, and the beef crisis is part of it.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 6,854 Mod ✭✭✭✭eeeee


    You think that irish chickens or eggs or pork or lamb or even BEEF go thru all that?[/QUOTE]

    Yes. All Irish meat and dairy products go through extremely stringent testing.
    Not long ago,

    Eat only 1 egg a week
    White bad bad for you
    Brown bread bad for you
    Margarine good for you
    Butter Bad for you

    This is irrelevant and off topic to the discussion in hand.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,052 ✭✭✭endainoz


    Quorn meat substitute is quite good and it is nice knowing no animal was harmed in making it. I think Irish farmers should grow fruit and veg. Ideally farmers should be young and not in their eighties so incentives are needed so that farms get passed on to the young. Retirement homes may want the farms as collateral for caring for old farmers but to me that is like saying we should all just lie down and die.

    Oh man I really didn't want to reply to this thread, it's just not that simple to say: oh they should all grow fruit and veg. Not all land is suitable for that type of enterprise. Some do of course, and the majority of it is seen as too expensive to the consumer because its a realistic price but supermarkets buying fruit and veg from the continent in bulk can sell it for half nothing. Farmers markets do exist, sure but it's not affordable for everyone. Low income families still need affordable food. I'm not even going to entertain the idea of essentially giving farms away to a retirement home so they can plant it with Sitka spruce. Moronic idea.
    So, I say give young farmers the land and encourage agricultural education and entrepreneurship.

    This is the issue with people that don't know enough about the industry but still feel the need to give an uneducated opinion. There are courses run by Teagasc to do just that. Young farmers are encouraged to do a 'green cert' which is a level 5 and 6 course that can be done part-time or full-time. The literal idea is to have more young people involved in the industry to use more ideas and to diversify on some way. There are also inheritance plans that can be put in place if a father wants to retire in say 5 years and to pass the farm onto one of their children.

    I have done the green cert and I still have to work a job elsewhere. All my friends involved in farming also need a job as there is not enough money just to farm. My father raised a family with four kids on the same farm I work on now.

    It simply isn't sustainable anymore and you have to love it which I do. For what it's worth, I do support the beef protests but I'm not too confident about them getting what they want.

    It won't make me give it up though that's for sure, and I can't stand hearing this sh1te from lads saying: oh if it's not worth it you should give it up and oh they're always whinging looking for more handouts etc. etc. To those people I say mind your own business. You literally have no idea of the work that we do, and it's a shame the general public opinion for farmers and farming in general is so poor. Farming for me is pretty high in the way of job satisfaction, it's just a pity we don't get next of near what were worth.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭onetimecypher


    Quite to the contrary.

    We are told that only our meat/chicken/pork/etc are good.

    We are told to avoid Thai chicken/Brazilian beef etc

    WHY?


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 5,052 ✭✭✭endainoz


    eeeee wrote:
    If people had half an idea of the difference in quality, as well as they environmental, welfare and quality standards they wouldn't touch it. Of course there is quality meat reared in the Mecorsor countries, but it's not what'll be coming on the boat to us.

    Unfortunately all people will look at will be the bottom line.


Advertisement