‘Bord Bia’s job is to promote Irish food yet it has not done anything to promote the best aspect of Irish food’
THE lack of a Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) for Irish suckler beef is a “failure” of Bord Bia, according to Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture Matt Carthy.
Carthy told the recent Select Committee on Agriculture he fears “a lot of money is being wasted in dealing with the PGI” and questioned whether the proposed PGI for grass-fed suckler Irish beef will bring any additionality to farmers.
Bord Bia, he said, has said the reason it has not created an Irish suckler beef brand PGI is because nobody outside the sector knows what suckler beef is.
“That’s a failure on their part. Their job is to promote Irish food and yet they haven’t done anything to promote the best aspect of Irish food,” said Carthy, who also asked if a value-for-money assessment would be carried out to ensure Bord Bia is spending money effectively, particularly where suckler beef is concerned.
It comes amid mounting opposition to the proposed PGI for Irish grass-fed beef, with the Department of Agriculture confirming it has received 22 objections to its proposal to apply to Europe for a PGI for ‘Irish Grass Fed Beef’.
The proposed PGI would include cattle that derive at least 90pc of their feed intake from grass, as determined by the Bord Bia Grass Fed Beef Standard, which is primarily grazed grass, with winter feeding of conserved grass (both silage and hay), and spend a minimum of 220 days per year throughout their lifetime grazing pasture. Last week Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice asked Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue if there is correspondence from Europe to advise Bord Bia and the Department that Ireland were better off going for suckler PGI status rather than the way we are going for a grass-fed beef PGI.
Enhance
According to Fianna Fáil’s McConalogue, a grass-fed PGI for Irish beef would enhance marketing of Irish beef and help distinguish it internationally.
“The idea behind developing from the Origin Green brand towards PGI status is that it would add additional value and capacity to further market that beef to try to increase its value and price,” he said.
“There is recognition of PGI among many consumers as being something of value.
“One would therefore hope that a successful application would be helpful in assisting us in our work to develop markets and get value for them.”
According to Bord Bia any
PGI application must address a number of different descriptions, specifications and criteria in addition to the Grass Fed Standard.
It says the key requirement of any PGI application is to specifically describe what is unique, protectable and reflects the actual farming, selection and processing steps that make this product.
In Ireland, these categories are steers and heifers, with the PGI application using the expanded “in-spec” grade range that was agreed by the Beef Taskforce as an existing platform to define the grades. The most recent Beef Taskforce meeting was postponed when it became apparent all farm organisations are not supporting the PGI as it stands.
The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) have called for funding for the development of a suckler brand, while IFA has insisted that young bull beef be included.
The ICSA has said it is opposed to what it describes as a ‘one-sizefits-all’ application because it is too diluted and undermines the potential to get a premium price for specialist suckler beef.
It says the inclusion of most dairyderived beef will not help it achieve a premium price for suckler beef, while the creation of a generic PGI for grass-fed beef does not tally with Bord Bia’s committment to develop a suckler or natural beef brand.