THE ICSA has warned that Aldi price cuts to beef and lamb are ‘undermining the efforts and livelihoods of Irish cattle and sheep farmers’.
Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) beef chair John Cleary made the comments following Aldi’s announcement this week that they would be reducing prices on a range of products, including Irish beef and lamb.
Aldi said the price cuts will not impact on the prices paid to any of its suppliers. ‘This is a ludicrous claim. Aldi’s assertion that their price cuts will not affect their suppliers is simply unacceptable and out of touch with the reality faced by Irish farmers,’ Mr Cleary said.
‘It is our assertion that cutting the prices of Irish beef and lamb directly undermines the efforts and livelihoods of Irish cattle and sheep farmers.’
The ICSA beef chair said that farmers producing top-quality food to extremely exacting standards and they are doing so under serious financial pressures. ‘In most instances farmers are struggling just to meet the bare minimum costs of production.
‘It is incredulous to suggest that slashing prices on products that are already undervalued would not have a detrimental impact on suppliers.’
Farmer representatives are now braced for a round of price cutting by other retailers on key farm products that could bring a downward pressure on prices paid to producers.
‘Quite simply, at time when production costs have skyrocketed this move by Aldi only serves to diminish the value of these products further by perpetuating unrealistic expectations regarding how low prices can plummet.
‘There can be no doubt that the downward pressure on these prices will inevitably trickle down the food chain and will ultimately burden beef and lamb farmers who have always had the least bargaining power.’
They called on Aldi to reconsider its pricing strategy. ‘These price cuts directly impact the bottom line of our farmers, making it increasingly difficult for
them to sustain their livelihoods and maintain the high standards of quality and welfare that consumers expect.’
