Irish Farmers Highlight Free Trade Concerns as Trump Victory Creates Uncertainty on Deals

Donald Trump’s victory in the US’s presidential election has filled the media today, but the win will also have implications for agriculture in the US and around the world.

Patrick Kent, President of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association, said today in a statement that he hoped the result would make Irish and EU politicians sit up and listen to concerns over free trade agreements on their side of the pond. Mr Trump was elected after promising to rip up the US’s Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which has not yet been ratified.

Mr Kent suggested the trade deals are beneficial for big business but not for ordinary people like beef farmers: “The EU Commission and all EU and national politicians need to stop looking for excuses and get tough with multinational retailers, food and drink processors and input suppliers who, between them, are driving our beef, sheep and tillage farmers to despair and over the edge.

He continued: “ICSA is ramping up its campaign against hundreds of thousands of tons of cheap beef flooding EU markets which is what will happen if we keep trying to do unbalanced trade deals.” – Click here to read more.

In other news, a new £1.5 million research project in the UK is aiming to improve youngstock health and improve efficiency in feed and forage use to drive productivity in the industry. Levy board AHDB Beef & Lamb is looking for collaborators to form a five-year Beef Knowledge Partnership looking at these key areas.

Dr Mary Vickers, AHDB Beef & Lamb senior scientist, said: “Mortality and production loss due to disease have a significant impact on the bottom line, and reduce our competitiveness internationally. Increasing pressure to minimise antibiotic use across the livestock industry means that it is more important than ever to focus on proactive cattle health management.

“Food and forage use efficiency is another key factor in sustaining a profitable beef system. Research on beef ration formulation is now 30 years old, so there is a real need for updating through new research.” – Read more.