Jack Wall
Question:9 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the steps he is taking to promote the health benefits of grass-fed Irish beef; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13869/00]
Other Questions. - Beef Industry.
The promotion of beef is the responsibility of Bord Bia in conjunction with the industry. The promotion of Irish beef by these interests is heavily based on the fact that it is largely produced from grass-fed cattle which are reared in animal welfare-friendly conditions and the beef is a wholesome healthy food.
With regard to the particular health benefits of grass-fed beef, initial research by Teagasc indicates that, by comparison with beef produced from concentrates or silage, grass-fed beef contains lower levels of saturated fatty acids and higher levels of conjugated linoleic acids and is, therefore, more compatible with modern medical advice on diet composition. Teagasc is currently undertaking research to enable it to design feeding practices which will optimise the concentrations of "healthy" fatty acids in meat produced not only from grass but other feedstuffs commonly used in Ireland. The objective of this research is to provide information to farmers to enable them to produce beef with lower levels of saturated fatty acids, thereby further improving the competitiveness and attractiveness of Irish beef on export markets.
Dr. Upton
How does the Minister intend to use this information to promote Irish beef on the home market and also internationally? Historically, beef has a bad track record in relation to health aspects. This type of positive information should be promoted to encourage the buying of greater amounts of beef on the European and home markets. How does the Minister intend to promote the selling of Irish beef?
Research is ongoing. When it is completed, we will know whether it is possible to promote grass-fed beef specifically in relation to its anti-carcinogenic advantages. As the Deputy is aware from last week's meeting in Grange, at which the Minister, Deputy Walsh, was present, Dr. O'Riordan has done some work in this area. We await with great anxiety the findings in the area of anti-carcinogenic advantages. The Deputy is more familiar with this area of microbiology than I would be and I greatly admire her for her interest in it. Teagasc has a programme entitled, Grass-Fed Beef: A Natural Health Food, which is organised in collaboration with the National Food Centre, where Dr. Vivian Tarrant is in charge. A great deal of work is ongoing in this area. While I have no findings, it will be an exciting development should it reach fruition, and we hope it will go the favoured route of saying that Irish beef has the health advantage.
Every other country is similar to us in trying to market its beef. While everyone in the House justifiably believes that Irish grass-fed beef has the advantages the Minister of State outlined, how is that handled in terms of marketing strategy on the export market? How does An Bord Bia get the message across to customers who purchase the product?
As Deputy Connaughton is aware, since the formation of An Bord Bia a number of years ago, we have marketed Irish beef on the basis of being pasture-fed, and that has been a bonus for us. Intensive marketing programmes are in place in Italy, the UK, France and Holland. The Minister and An Bord Bia publicised the advantage of grass-fed beef using the logo "Beautiful grass makes beautiful beef". Trojan work has been done in the area. We are the only country in Europe which has this natural, green image. None of the other member states have that, so we have a natural advantage, such as New Zealand. We have done a great deal of work and it is paying off. People want our beef and an increasing amount is being traded. It is a tragedy that we must sell half our beef to third country markets, but we are withdrawing from those and selling on the quality markets of Europe.
Why is it so hard to break into Europe?
It is expected that beef consumption will increase by 1% to 1.5% in Europe this year. We are present to take advantage of that.
We are down compared to five years ago.
The Deputy should remember that there was a crisis with BSE. He was present for that.
Why are we not able to overcome that at this stage?
This is obviously an exciting development at the Teagasc research centre in Grange and is something which will have long-term benefits for the industry if it can be carried through. However, it is also tremendously expensive. Does the Minister of State believe research funding is adequate for the type of research needed which is of a long-term nature? I compliment Dr. Eddie O'Riordan who happened to be a classmate of mine during the 1970s and is from Cork.
I wish to sound a note of caution about the research. While I agree that Irish grass-fed beef produce is of excellent quality, we are also trying to break into other markets in continental Europe where there is a need to produce beef from cattle fed on cereals. It is necessary to ensure we get the correct texture of meat. We need to be selective in our marketing approach and in the use of that research because other high quality markets which we are pursuing are not necessarily interested in that form of beef production.
The Deputy is correct that there is a need to include other feed as well as grass. With new technology, we are now growing large quantities of maize as forage, especially in the southern part of the country where the weather is milder and yields a good crop. That is assisting us.
Another benefit of the research is that the beef showed a marked increased in linoleic acid content which is proven to protect against cancer, obesity and heart disease. There are many advantages to this research. While I have no qualifications in the medical area, this appears to be exciting news. I compliment Teagasc in the work it has done to date and I believe there will be additional findings.