Food bills rise with grain price

NORTHERN IRELAND - Consumers can expect to see rises in the prices of beef, pork, poultry, bread and eggs as farmers urge retailers to boost farm gate prices, the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) has warned.
calendar icon 29 August 2007
clock icon 2 minute read
The UFU said it would be meeting retailers over the next couple of weeks to argue for higher farm gate prices.

Producers have been hit by rising feed costs, due to poor global harvests, increased demand for grain from China and India and diversion of land use into energy crop production, spokesman Joe McDonald warned.

"The price of grain has increased by almost 50% in the last six or seven months," he said.

"Local farmers simply cannot absorb that sort of increase in their costs unless the farm gate prices increase. Supply and demand is pushing up the price of grain and we think it's something that's here to stay."

The warning comes as experts in England insist that livestock producers face a hike of nearly 100% in animal feed costs, following the financial blow of the foot and mouth outbreak.

Finished feed costs are expected to rise by 35-40% due to worldwide wheat shortages resulting from crop failures.

Source: Belfast Telegraph

Further Comment

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Meat prices set to rise as feed costs soar
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