The trading of cattle between here and Northern Ireland is a function of the market and neither I nor my counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive have any role in it, save for ensuring compliance with relevant regulations in relation to animal health and disease issues. Ultimately it is a matter for farmers in both jurisdictions to decide for themselves where their best advantage lies with regard to buying and selling their animals. In the same way, questions of price and market specification are matters to be determined between the purchasers and the sellers of cattle and it is neither appropriate nor possible for me to intervene directly on these issues. While I do meet and discuss issues of common interest periodically in the North-South Ministerial Council and other fora with Michelle O’Neill and other Northern Irish Ministers, it is not within our gift to change or influence the trade in cattle between our jurisdictions.
I am of course aware that there are difficulties currently in the sale of cattle from here to Northern Ireland because of price differentials arising from constraints brought about by the labelling system operated by the UK retail chains in relation to cattle born in this country and exported live for finishing and processing there. The retailers’ long-standing policy is to market UK and Irish beef separately. This means that beef must be sourced from animals originating in one country; i.e. born, reared and slaughtered in the same country, thus decreasing the attractiveness of Irish born cattle for Northern Irish meat plants whose customers are large UK retailers. In addition, logistical difficulties arise when a small number of Irish-born animals are slaughtered in a UK meat plant. Under mandatory EU labelling rules, these carcasses have to be deboned in a separate batch, packaged and labelled accordingly, thereby incurring additional costs for the processor.
While Bord Bia has repeatedly raised the issue of stocking beef from Irish born cattle slaughtered in the UK with British retailers over the years, there are no indications that their marketing policy is likely to be reversed soon. Nevertheless, Bord Bia in its ongoing interactions with British customers will continue to pursue all opportunities to maximise the full potential of the beef and livestock trade with our largest trading partner.
