Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 13 Dec 1995

Vol. 459 No. 7

Written Answers. - Irish Beef Sales.

Pat Upton

Ceist:

137 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the amount of money spent by Irish agencies on informing British consumers of the safety of Irish beef on the United Kingdom market in order to deal with concerns at the high incidence of BSE in the United Kingdom. [18832/95]

Pat Upton

Ceist:

141 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the volume of Irish beef sold in British outlets which is branded as having been produced in Ireland; and the amount of Irish beef sold in British outlets which is not branded as having been produced in this country. [18837/95]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Yates)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 141 together.

Expenditure by An Bord Bia on market development and the promotion of Irish meat on the British market amounted to approximately £1 million this year. This expenditure has been concentrated on market development, market research, buyer contact and quality appreciation.

Total exports of Irish beef to the United Kingdom amounted to approximately 114,000 tonnes in 1994. However, there are no reliable figures on the volume of Irish beef sales in British outlets which is branded as having been produced in Ireland. However, traditionally Irish beef sold in the United Kingdom has not been branded as such and the bulk of our beef exports to that market are sold either unbranded or under own level brands in supermarket outlets.