Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2015
289. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to work with Bord Bia to support and lead the case for the introduction of a strong single brand for Irish beef exports into the US market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5810/15]
View answerThe opening of any major third country market for Irish beef is a very positive development for the entire beef sector given our heavy reliance on exports. This is particularly true of a lucrative market like the US where the beef market is estimated at 11 million metric tonnes. It is split 60: 40 between food service and grocery retail (by volume). The US imports 1.2 million tonnes of beef every year and Ireland is the first EU Member State to secure access to this market.
As the Deputy is aware, I am currently leading a major trade promotion to the US which will mark the arrival of Irish beef there for the first time in 15 years. I will be launching Irish beef at events in New York, Washington DC and Boston, and I will be meeting high-end trade buyers and promoting Irish beef to US food publications so as to build awareness of the qualities of Irish Beef. Ireland is the first EU country to be allowed back into the United States and we must use this advantage to place Irish Beef at the forefront of the premium steak cut market.
Bord Bia’s strategy for the US market is to position Irish beef as a premium grass based natural product so pure and so natural that you can taste the difference. The brand positioning developed by Bord Bia is grounded in comprehensive consumer and trade research conducted in the US over the last three years. The beef market in the US is significantly different from the consumer packaged goods market and retail sales are nearly exclusively own brand. As a result, Bord Bia will use the visual identity of the Quality Assurance mark to communicate the defining attributes of Irish beef as a natural product sustainably farmed to internationally accredited standards. In addition Bord Bia is developing an application to the sustainably Process Verified Program which will facilitate their endorsement of the product claims on pack. Bord Bia’s marketing programme this year will encompass media advertising, PR and digital campaigns to targeted trade and consumer audiences to support the commercial activities of Irish beef exporters.
