Farm organisations should be exempt from the Competition Act for any collective action taken and should be indemnified against any claim for damages, a farm leader said yesterday.
Mr Pat O'Rourke, president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association, told his organisation's annual meeting he was convinced the Competition Authority was acting unjustly against farm organisations. Mr O'Rourke had earlier called on the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, to have the authority take action against the grocery retailing sector and examine its unjustifiable margins.
"I am totally convinced that the authority is acting unjustly against legitimate joint-farmer action in a way that was never intended by the legislation under which the Competition Authority operates," he said.
"It is time to provide exemption from the Competition Act for farm organisations for any collective action taken on behalf of their members with regard to price and supply of farm inputs including services and the price and supply of farm outputs," he said.
Mr O'Rourke, who is in the middle of a six-year term as ICMSA president, said he had been delighted with the support received from the Consumer Association of Ireland over the enormous gap between farm and retail prices.
Calling on the Tánaiste to take action against the retail sector, which he said were taking totally unjustified margins, he said she should instruct the Competition Authority to carry out a detailed examination of these margins.
"The power of large food retails has grown enormously and we all know and have experience of the enormous pressure they can exert on farmer and processor suppliers," he said.
"If this power cannot be reduced, it must be made more accountable by more information being available to farmers, processing secor and consumers."
In his address, the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Walsh, said he was determined to defend the milk quota system in the proposed reforms of the CAP. "I am in favour of the continuation of the regime in the period up to 2008 and beyond and that I will resist any attempt to unravel elements of Agenda 2000." On the beef industry, Mr Walsh, said farmers had responded well to the demand for cattle to be ready for market before 30 months old, demonstrating the sector could respond to market signals.