UFU takes aim at Doherty & Gray over Polish beef

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has said it is “outraged” after discovering that Co Antrim-based Doherty & Gray has been processing and selling on Polish beef.

It comes only a couple of weeks after the UFU exposed ABP Food Group for supplying Polish beef to various Asda and Sainsbury’s stores in Britain.

With the local beef trade under significant pressure after base quotes dropped 10p/kg in the last couple of weeks, and farmers losing over £120 per head on cattle bought last autumn, there is added scrutiny on companies that import beef.

In a statement, the UFU maintained that those who import beef at a time when farmers are being told that certain cuts are impossible to sell, and prices must come down, are effectively putting the future of farm families at risk.

“We have spoken directly to Doherty & Grey to express our frustration and disappointment at their decision to import Polish beef.

“We urge all local retailers and butchers to seriously consider their beef sourcing policies. Now more than ever there is a greater need to support your local beef farmers, who are facing unprecedented challenges as a result of COVID-19,” reads the UFU statement.

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Doherty & Gray is one of the oldest beef processing companies in NI, and is currently run by three brothers – Brendan, Terence and Seamus Doherty.

As well as killing some local cattle, Doherty & Gray brings in sides of beef from Ireland for further processing, and also wholesale meat to customer specifications.

Traditionally, the company has been a main supplier of beef and lamb to local butcher shops and foodservice outlets, and more recently has taken on retail business, specialising in the supply of sausages and burgers.

Given the pressure that the NI beef industry is under, farmers are right to feel aggrieved when they see imported beef being used to effectively undercut their market. Across Ireland, it is not as if there is a deficit in the product.

Traditionally in NI, most beef ends up as UK origin product in British retail. That creates a gap in the market, especially in food-service and catering outlets, which is usually filled by beef imports from the Republic of Ireland.

In the butcher trade, there are some butchers who only want local beef, and the likes of Doherty & Gray have generally paid towards the top end of the local market to source suitable heifers for these outlets. There are also butchers who are happy to sell beef from the Republic of Ireland.

But we shouldn’t always assume that a local butcher is only offering beef from this island. There are those, perhaps in an urban environment, who want beef at a certain price, and that is where the likes of Polish beef comes in.

So who is at fault here? Is Doherty & Gray just meeting a customer requirement? As consumers, there is no harm asking our local butcher where their beef is from.

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