Farmers in the Irish Republic are seeking a "substantial rise" in the prices consumers pay for milk and beef, with the increases passed directly to them. They claim they can no longer continue to produce food at current prices, which they say have remained unchanged for two years. During that period, according to farmers, trade unions have negotiated 20% wage increases for industrial workers. Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association president Pat O'Rourke declared: "Farmers are being forced off the land: 14,000 have gone in the last six years because they cannot support their families on the prices they are being paid. "We need to get a fair return from the marketplace if we are to stay in business, and that means a substantial rise in what consumers pay." He added that Irish consumers could well afford to pay more, "as their spend on the weekly food bill has dropped from 30% of wages to around 10%". But Irish Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh rejected the call for dearer food. "I don't accept that consumers should be asked to pay more, they are already paying enough," he said. "There are other efficiencies and other margins to be looked at rather than seeking to squeeze more from consumers for particular products." Unlike Britain, farmers represent a formidable lobby in the Irish Republic and the minister's dismissal of their claim is unlikely to be the final word. Early this year, picketing farmers brought the country's meat plants to a standstill in a successful fight for better prices. At present they are employing similar tactics against Irish Sugar company plants in a bid to win higher beet crop prices. {{NEWS }}

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