Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 June 2014
403. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to promote Irish beef; his views that not enough is being done to promote Irish beef domestically and internationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26595/14]
View answerOne of my priorities since taking office has been the continued development of the beef sector. The broad outline for developing the beef industry in Ireland was set out in my Department’s Food Harvest 2020 (FH2020) strategy. The recommendations for development of the sector included the identification of “target markets for which access for Irish beef, beef offals and breeding stock should be secured”.
My strategy for implementing this recommendation is to constantly develop relationships in existing and in new and expanding international markets, raising the profile of Ireland and increasing international confidence in Irish production and control systems. Since taking office I have led trade missions to China, the US, Algeria and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in the Middle East. Last saw year saw yet another increase in the value of our beef exports, which rose to almost €2.1 billion.
Ireland is more than six times self sufficient in beef and therefore the promotion of Irish beef on external markets is critically important to the sector. There is a strong demand for meat globally and my focus is aimed at enabling Irish exporters to take advantage of the opportunities that arise. My Department engages on a daily basis with many countries, in collaboration with Bord Bia and Irish embassies’ personnel on market access issues. These initiatives have led to a number of notable successes in securing market access from authorities in Japan, Singapore, Egypt and Iran. This year to date we have agreed access terms with the Lebanon and Namibia. In 2013 the value of beef exports is estimated to have increased by 10%, driven by a 5% rise in output and a similar jump in average prices.
In November 2013, the US lifted its ban on the importation of beef from the European Union. This was one of my priorities the previous year when I visited the US, where I pushed the matter strongly with the US Department of Agriculture Secretary of State, Tom Vilsack and in meetings with Senators. Last week saw a return visit from Mr. Vilsack where we again discussed the issue of Irish beef access to the US. As part of the visit we had the opportunity to visit a beef farm in Co. Kildare to impress upon him and his officials the high quality standards which apply to beef production in Ireland. We now expect an audit team from the US in early July after which they will inform us of their decision regarding re-entry to the market.
In December 2013, a delegation from my Department visited China for discussions with authorities there on the lifting of the beef BSE ban which prohibits imports from any EU country. While there are a number of stages to go before Ireland secures access for beef to China, I am hopeful that these can be progressed further in 2014.
The Canadian Food inspection Agency (CFIA) visited Ireland in early February 2014 to inspect the control systems in place at national and food business operator level. A positive outcome to the visit could lead to export opportunities to this premium market in the near future.
Irish beef is now listed with more than 75 high-end retail chains across EU markets. This wide portfolio of customers has contributed significantly to higher returns for Irish beef in recent years and reflects the success of Bord Bia’s differentiation and premiumisation strategy which focuses on the key attributes of Irish beef: environmentally sustainable, grass-based production systems, full traceability, quality assurance at all stages and superior eating quality. Among Bord Bia’s key initiatives this year is the continued development, global promotion and marketing of its Origin Green initiative, designed to establish Ireland as a world leader in sustainably produced food and drink. Over 200 companies are currently working with Bord Bia to develop, and commit to, sustainability plans setting out clear targets in emissions, energy, waste, water, biodiversity and corporate social responsibility activities.
This year, I hosted two round-table discussions with the key stakeholders in the beef sector. An important promotional measure that I announced of foot of these discussions is the allocation by Bord Bia of an additional €0.5m to intensify its marketing of Irish beef in the UK, Netherlands and Germany and I understand the bulk of this money will be spent between now and the peak autumn cattle supply period. An additional €85,000 will go towards the UK market, bringing Bord Bia’s total spend for marketing Irish beef in the UK to €0.4 million. The additional expenditure will contribute towards an online promotion on well-known food websites, as well as profiling Irish beef through recipes and competitions.
A manufacturing category study is also being carried out to reaffirm the position of Irish beef alongside British beef as an ingredient in value-added ready meals. This €0.5m allocation is in addition to the €9m budget spend per year by Bord Bia on marketing of Irish beef internationally.Domestically, Bord Bia will spend €170,000 this year in the promotion of Irish beef, to reinforce consumer purchasing of beef with the Bord Bia Quality Mark. This is achieved through initiatives such as the airing of television adverts, sponsorship of cookery programs on television such as ‘Nevin Maguire’s Home Chef’, cookery demonstrations at events such as ‘Bloom’ and also in schools, as well as publication of recipes in consumer leaflets and on Bord Bia’s website.
I am sure the Deputy will agree that there are very substantial resources dedicated to the promotion of Irish beef, both home and abroad. The export performance of Irish beef has been one of the major success stories of the Irish agrifood sector in recent years and I expect that our export performance will continue to improve.
