I have arrived at the best place in the world - home. No matter where we travel to around the world or across this wide brown land, it is always great to be back home. Five weeks away is a long time for anyone to be out of the country, but one has to make the most of the time. The bucket list no longer exists. Moscow, St Petersburg, Paris, London, the Channel Islands and of course Ireland, there was plenty to see and do. I watched the All Ireland semi-final between Mayo and Dublin in a pub in County Mayo where my dad was born, so naturally I supported Mayo. Not one Dublin supporter could be found, which would not have mattered as the Irish are lovers, not fighters!
I swam (in) the English Channel. Let me assure you it was the coldest water I have ever experienced, colder than winter waters on our beaches. It's off the bucket list so mission accomplished.
While I was in Ireland there were protests from cattle farmers about the prices they were being paid by processors and the grid pricing system. Farmers were protesting outside plants, which is a lot easier in the Irish counties than in Australia due to proximity of the plants in rural locations. The grassroots Beef Plan movement (farmers) were picketing outside processing plants and the processors were taking legal action against the movement.
The members of Beef Plan claim that for every £10 of beef bought off shelves, the farmer receives £2, the processor takes £2.90 and the supermarket £5.10. Irish farmers believe their incomes are "totally unsustainable". Teagasc National Farm Survey for 2018 showed cattle rearing incomes at £8813 on average.
One had to explore Harrods department store when in London. This famous department store has one of the most exclusive fresh food/eatery departments in the world. Naturally I headed to the red meat butcher shop and not to my surprise, they proudly displayed Australian Wagyu. Some of the product on sale originated from Tamworth NSW and was the famous "Jacks Creek Wagyu" branded beef.
"Top shelf" Wagyu was priced at £330 for a kilogram. My new mate Tom the butcher, when quizzed in regard to sales volume of the Wagyu product, said and I quote "Gov, we are smashing our targets. Wealthy Chinese and Russians cannot get enough of it and in fact we are increasing our supply due to demand." The only slight negative was that he indicated they were looking to obtain additional supplies from Japan (ouch).
Paddy Wade: Bravest of the Brave.
This was a headline from a newspaper clipping some time ago about my Irish grandfather, whom I never met. The article reads in part, "Many Mayo men and women played a noble role in establishing democracy in our country. One such man was Paddy Wade, Balla, and County Mayo. A victualler by profession, he played a prominent part... As a young man, Paddy Wade took part in a number of ambushes in Mayo and Cork and one of his comrades described him as the bravest of the brave. Paddy was a member of the renowned West Cork Flying Column, many of whose members were involved in several ambushes in the south of Ireland."
It is always important to research some family history from time to time regardless of what you may find out.
The season continues to deteriorate and the only consolation is that we are closing out of our traditional dry months and one hopes heading to an early storm season. The numbers hitting auctions centres and processors continue to surprise from all accounts as there appears no shortage of supplies coming forward.
Prices have maintained, however the returns to farm gate are lower due to the lighter weight cattle hitting the market. A number of producers are marketing next year's income and that has been a trend for a while.
When the season turns favourable - and it always does - there will have to be a shortage of supply.
- Brendan Wade: 0439 663 060, brendanwade59@hotmail.com