Ceci est une version HTML d'une pièce jointe de la demande d'accès à l'information 'Commissioner Hogan's invitations to events and speaking engagements'.



Ref. Ares(2016)1889217 - 21/04/2016
Ref. Ares(2016)5579867 - 27/09/2016
From: 
 (CAB-HOGAN) 
Sent: 
Thursday 21 April 2016 9:50 
To: 
CAB HOGAN ARCHIVES 
Subject: 
FW: Agricultural Ombudsman 
Attachments: 
ombudsman (1).docx; ATT00001.htm 
 
For registration and invites table please. 
 
Thanks a mil. 
 
 
 
From: TYNAN Tom (CAB-HOGAN)  
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2016 7:59 AM 
To:
 (CAB-HOGAN) 
Subject: FW: Agricultural Ombudsman 
 
For ARES 
 and invites list 
 
Thanks 
 
Tom 
 
From: HOGAN Phil (CAB-HOGAN)  
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2016 1:10 AM 
To: TYNAN Tom (CAB-HOGAN) 
Subject: Fwd: Agricultural Ombudsman 
 
 
 
Sent from my iPhone 
 
Begin forwarded message: 
From:
 
Date: 20 April 2016 at 20:37:09 GMT+9 
To: <xxxx.xxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx> 
Subject: Agricultural Ombudsman 
Dear Mr Hogan, 
 
I am emailing you in my capacity as 
 of the National Beef 
Association, a UK wide trade association representing the beef industry and 
with a large membership of commercial and pedigree farmers. 
 
The primary producers of milk, beef, lamb etc are all suffering a sustained 
period of poor pricing and are liquidating their assets to scrape by. The beef 
 industry  is dominated by a few large processors, they by their size have an 

undue influence on the market and pricing. The individual producer has little 
or no influence regardless of the size of their business. 
 
Beef prices in the UK have now dropped to a five year low and yet the retail 
price has remained relatively static with a 1-2% increase.The idea of price 
fatigue amongst consumers is often mentioned, i.e. beef is just too 
expensive, this would hold more water if retail price had moved downwards 
with the cattle price. The truth is retail price has moved up 1% whilst on farm 
prices have been slowly, week by week, coming back to this point where 
farmers are getting around 46% or less of retail price, there is room for 
retailers to bring back shelf price and stimulate sales. 
 
The recent in-store marketing of beef has been either abysmal or non 
existent with product poorly displayed with price promotion mainly on 
imported product.As well as price as a factor of sales there needs to be 
promotion of the product, in recent years beef promotion has been obvious 
by its absence. Who has the responsibility to market our product, of course it 
starts with the producer ensuring quality but once it leaves our hands? AHDB 
has a responsibility as our levy body to allocate a share of our levy to keeping 
beef in the minds of consumers, but what is the responsibility of the 
supermarkets, at the moment they seem to have no interest in UK  beef, their 
only interest is to return a profit and at the moment that is at the cost of the 
producer. The loyalty of retailers does not last beyond the last horse burger 
been eaten. 
 
As someone with personal experience you will agree that family farms do not 
have the ability to continue to subsidise falling supermarket profits any 
longer. Retailers need to give a fair share, 54% of the retail price to the 
producer, market the product better and more clearly and most importantly 
stop controlling and interfering in the businesses of their suppliers.  
 
We have seen the large processors enforce deductions on cattle that are 
unfair and restrictive of trade. The processing sector does not seem to realise 
that destroying the supplier of their raw material suppliers will have an 
adverse affect on their own survival. We of the NBA feel there is a need for a 
European wide ombudsman to arbitrate fairly  the relationship between the 
primary producer and the processor, for all our food products. 
 
The NBA like their Irish counterparts have also great concerns over future 
Mercosur trade agreements and how this will affect the future sustainability of 
the European beef industry. 
 
l have attached a starting paper on the need for an ombudsman. 

 
The NBA would welcome the chance to meet with you in your capacity as 
 European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural 
Development to discuss our concerns 
Kind Regards, 
 
 
National Beef Association