Poultry Growers’ Costs Need to Be Recognised

IFA Poultry Chairman Andy Boylan has called on all stakeholders in the poultry industry, including retailers and wholesalers who sell chicken, to recognise the rising costs of producing chicken.

Boylan stated, “Poultry farmers are growing chicken to the highest standards – that our processors, retailers, Bord Bia and the Irish consumer all demand. We have seen the input costs of growing broilers increase by up to 30% in the past two years. This model of production has become unsustainable and farmer’s need to recover these increased costs.”

Chicken farming is, by its nature, a high cost, low margin business and chicken farmers constantly strive to make their farms more efficient whilst maintaining the high standards required of them by their processors and supermarket multiples.
Irish chicken is fully traceable from the hatching egg right through to the dinner plate. Irish chicken is Bord Bia quality approved, has a low carbon footprint, offers value for money and above all is what Irish consumers want to buy. However, without a recovery of costs it may not be available into the future.

Today’s demonstration by Monaghan and Cavan based poultry farmers was organised to highlight the urgent need for farmers cost of production to be recognised and recovered in the production chain.

Today’s action follows on from an IFA protest led by Poultry Chairman Andy Boylan and the IFA poultry committee outside Kerry Foods production facility in Co Wicklow last Friday, 8th February. Last week’s protest highlighted the misleading labelling of chicken products that were imported into Ireland.

Boylan said that all retailers need to support Bord Bia Quality Assured chicken, offering it to consumers at a fair price that recognises the costs of production.