Life has been returning to normal in the Bord Bia offices since the ending of the IFA protest.
While much of its work is carried out from offices spread across the world, it is inevitable that its focus was disrupted during the protest.
There is an independent governance review of Bord Bia in place that will hopefully deal with the substance of the recent dispute but in the meantime, Bord Bia has to get back to the day job of promoting Irish food and drink.
With a global network of offices and modern capability to work remotely, many of the basic functions will have carried on with minimal disruption. However it won’t have been completely business as usual. When engaging with international clients and potential customers, the conversation will have begun with the protest and at least one important meeting with a significant UK customer had to be relocated.
Quality assurance audits
There are a couple of tasks assigned to Bord Bia regarding the review, namely to examine farmer experiences with quality assurance audits and set up a farmer forum to improve farmer engagement with the organisation.
It shouldn’t be particularly difficult to discharge these duties, and even if some see these as a distraction, it is essential to do whatever is necessary to build and secure farmer confidence in quality assurance and in Bord Bia itself.
Importance of ambassadorial role
Sometimes there is a tendency to be dismissive of Bord Bia and the role it plays in promoting Irish food and drink.
After all, it has never bought or sold a kilo of beef, lamb, butter or cheese. If it didn’t exist would it be even noticed that it was missing?
Actually if it wasn't there, cattle and sheep would still be bought and sold, cows would be milked and that milk turned into dairy products and traded internationally.
In recent years at major international food shows, ABP and Dawn have taken their own dedicated space where their focus is on their business, not the countries and regions from where they source their raw material
After all, cattle, sheep and milk were produced and traded for centuries in Ireland and Bord Bia has just been in place for 32 years.
However, there is a difference between the basic trading of buying and selling at whatever price is available on the day and maximising the value over the long term.
Raw material
Most people would accept that with year-on-year increases in export values, Irish food and drink has reached a reasonably good place. Of course the raw material that makes this possible is reared, grown and harvested on Irish farms and it is in farmers interest that the products made with their raw material, are sold in the highest value markets wherever they are in the world. That is key to getting the best possible price returned at the farm gate.
Maximising the value of produce
Bord Bia is only one cog in the wheel that makes this happen but all cogs are important. Processors are also key in getting the products from farms to markets but unlike Bord Bia, their interest isn’t necessarily exclusively Irish.
For example, at major international trade shows historically, all meat exporters congregated on a large stand under an Irish umbrella.
It is also a notable feature at trade shows that every major meat and dairy exporting country in the world has an agency that is promoting the country alongside their exporting businesses.
While they still retain a huge affinity with Ireland, several large processors have interests across the island of Ireland, Britain, mainland Europe and beyond.
In recent years at major international food shows, ABP and Dawn have taken their own dedicated space where their focus is on their business, not the countries and regions from where they source their raw material.
It is also a notable feature at trade shows that every major meat and dairy exporting country in the world has an agency that is promoting the country alongside their exporting businesses.
Bord Bia has to participate in the review announced by the minister and make sure it completes the specific tasks allocated to it in relation to the quality assurance audit and engaging with farmers.
The issue of governance must also be sorted out in a way that the parties can live with, and Bord Bia needs to be getting on with the job that it exists to do.
Life has been returning to normal in the Bord Bia offices since the ending of the IFA protest.
While much of its work is carried out from offices spread across the world, it is inevitable that its focus was disrupted during the protest.
There is an independent governance review of Bord Bia in place that will hopefully deal with the substance of the recent dispute but in the meantime, Bord Bia has to get back to the day job of promoting Irish food and drink.
With a global network of offices and modern capability to work remotely, many of the basic functions will have carried on with minimal disruption. However it won’t have been completely business as usual. When engaging with international clients and potential customers, the conversation will have begun with the protest and at least one important meeting with a significant UK customer had to be relocated.
Quality assurance audits
There are a couple of tasks assigned to Bord Bia regarding the review, namely to examine farmer experiences with quality assurance audits and set up a farmer forum to improve farmer engagement with the organisation.
It shouldn’t be particularly difficult to discharge these duties, and even if some see these as a distraction, it is essential to do whatever is necessary to build and secure farmer confidence in quality assurance and in Bord Bia itself.
Importance of ambassadorial role
Sometimes there is a tendency to be dismissive of Bord Bia and the role it plays in promoting Irish food and drink.
After all, it has never bought or sold a kilo of beef, lamb, butter or cheese. If it didn’t exist would it be even noticed that it was missing?
Actually if it wasn't there, cattle and sheep would still be bought and sold, cows would be milked and that milk turned into dairy products and traded internationally.
In recent years at major international food shows, ABP and Dawn have taken their own dedicated space where their focus is on their business, not the countries and regions from where they source their raw material
After all, cattle, sheep and milk were produced and traded for centuries in Ireland and Bord Bia has just been in place for 32 years.
However, there is a difference between the basic trading of buying and selling at whatever price is available on the day and maximising the value over the long term.
Raw material
Most people would accept that with year-on-year increases in export values, Irish food and drink has reached a reasonably good place. Of course the raw material that makes this possible is reared, grown and harvested on Irish farms and it is in farmers interest that the products made with their raw material, are sold in the highest value markets wherever they are in the world. That is key to getting the best possible price returned at the farm gate.
Maximising the value of produce
Bord Bia is only one cog in the wheel that makes this happen but all cogs are important. Processors are also key in getting the products from farms to markets but unlike Bord Bia, their interest isn’t necessarily exclusively Irish.
For example, at major international trade shows historically, all meat exporters congregated on a large stand under an Irish umbrella.
It is also a notable feature at trade shows that every major meat and dairy exporting country in the world has an agency that is promoting the country alongside their exporting businesses.
While they still retain a huge affinity with Ireland, several large processors have interests across the island of Ireland, Britain, mainland Europe and beyond.
In recent years at major international food shows, ABP and Dawn have taken their own dedicated space where their focus is on their business, not the countries and regions from where they source their raw material.
It is also a notable feature at trade shows that every major meat and dairy exporting country in the world has an agency that is promoting the country alongside their exporting businesses.
Bord Bia has to participate in the review announced by the minister and make sure it completes the specific tasks allocated to it in relation to the quality assurance audit and engaging with farmers.
The issue of governance must also be sorted out in a way that the parties can live with, and Bord Bia needs to be getting on with the job that it exists to do.
SHARING OPTIONS