The Chairperson of ICMSA’s Livestock Committee, Michael O’Connell, has said that the publication of the 2025 Beef Carcase Classification & Price Report has raised questions that will need to be “both asked and answered” in relation to the grading and pricing systems operated by beef factories. Mr O’Connell said that Minister Heydon must acknowledge that the questions have now reached a degree of seriousness that requires a response.
“Over the past few weeks and months, the subjects of traceability and transparency have been the first subject farmers talk about wherever they meet and the core principle that farmers feel has been violated is the one that says that you must have the same rule for everybody. And that’s why the revelation that several DAFM-approved beef factories are exempt from mechanical classification and price reporting is so alarming. There must be full transparency from all meat processing plants on how they report pricing and carcase classification”, said Mr. O’Connell.
The ICMSA Livestock Chairperson was referring to the fact that regarding price reporting, six beef factories out of a total of 35 DAFM-approved factories are not reporting prices to the Department on a weekly basis. Mr. O’Connell said that farmers will want to know why they have been given this exemption and whether that is affecting calculation of the base price.
Nor was this the only issue that Beef Carcase Classification & Price Report had thrown up: “the number of inspections carried out, and the number of carcasses checked in beef factories in 2025 has dropped since 2024. During 2024, a total of 702 factories had carcass classification and grading checks versus 670 factory inspections in 2025. That’s not acceptable; it’s a reduction of just under 7,000 carcasses from what was already a very low number. How are farmers to have faith in carcass grading when the body which governs the proper calibration of machines and governing of manual grading is actually going backwards in terms of inspecting carcases?”
Mr. O’Connell noted that the relationship between farmers and beef processors had been, to put it as its most generous, “fractured” for many years and that could only be repaired by showing that the required level of fairness and transparency was being regulated and enforced.
