Posted online: Jul 1st, 2009

By Andrew Jennings
Reporter

HUNDREDS of angry farmers convened outside the entrance to Musgrave’s distribution centre in Kilcock on Tuesday afternoon (June 30) to protest against the major supermarket chains, which they say are destroying their livelihoods.
In a warning to the supermarkets the farmers prevented distribution trucks from passing through the entrance to Musgraves, which distributes to Supervalu and Centra shops around the country.
Speaking to the Kildare Post at the protest, IFA Chairman for Kildare/West Wicklow, David Egar, said that farmers in Kildare and throughout the country are struggling to earn a living because of the supermarket ‘price war’.
“We’re outside Musgrave’s here because they are continually bringing down the price of lamb. At the present minute you’d be lucky to get €80 for a good lamb. It’s way below the cost of production… farmers can’t continue to produce lamb at that price,” revealed Mr Egar.
He added: “In the meantime lamb is going back out over the counter and a couple of hundred euro. Now the people who buy from the farmer and the retailers who sell it are making an awful lot of money, while farmers are going bust. It can’t continue like this.”
Mr Egar made known that the farmers chose the Musgrave centre in Kilcock because it is one of the major distributors in the Leinster area to supermarkets.
“We’re at this location because they are one of the biggest distributors in the Leinster area and to the factories which we supply the lambs to it and to the supermarkets.
We’re only doing what we are told to do, they supply us. They tell us what to sell it for. And they’re the people making all the money. We just want our share and be able to make a living.”
The protest is one of a number held by farmers throughout the country in recent times in a bid to increase their payments.