Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 November 2020
247. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the PGI application concerning Northern Ireland; the engagements he has had with his counterpart in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35512/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Competent Authority, my Department must be satisfied, in submitting a PGI application to the Commission, that there is a verification system in place to ensure that, if successful, the PGI is protected and that the claims made in a PGI application are verifiable.
The draft application for a PGI for 'Irish Grass Fed Beef' provides that the control systems already in place for the Bord Bia Quality Assurance schemes and Grass Fed Standard will be used to carry out the verification, with no additional requirements for farmers.
In the case of Northern Ireland, there is currently no equivalent verification system in place to verify that qualifying cattle are grass fed.
My Department and Bord Bia have discussed the draft application with Northern Ireland counterparts, and I have discussed with my counterpart Minister Poots also. I have recently advised Minister Poots that, when the final application is being submitted, I will inform the European Commission that Ireland would support the PGI being extended on an all-island basis, when a grass-fed verification system is in place in Northern Ireland.
