A Co Cavan restaurant owner says some cuts of beef could soon be priced out of the market or will disappear from restaurant menus altogether due to the price of beef. Fergus Murphy is the chef proprietor of the popular Derrygarra Inn, located in Butlersbridge. According to Fergus, everyone involved in the catering industry is aware that prices have gone up quite considerably over the last six to eight months.
The local chef says the last thing that anyone in a similar position as himself wants is a "lost leader" on your menu and it's looking like steak will be one of them. With roast beef alone increasing by €5 or €6 per kilo only in the last few weeks, Mr Murphy says if beef prices continue to rise, restaurants will be ordering in less; "Three years ago farmers barely got enough money for their cattle feed so I think it's brilliant what they're getting. The demand is the UK, the demand is giving huge money to the Irish farmers for their cattle and fair play to them they're getting it. However, it's effecting us in the sense that if it becomes a really bad lost leader we'll be buying in less. Government obviously told farmers to cut back on their herd because of emissions so farmers will always still sell all their cattle regardless so where are we? Should we have cut back on our emissions and on our heard? No we shouldn't have."
