Rumblings of a row on grass-fed beef standard

Bord Bia and the IFA are on a collision course over a planned grass-fed beef standard which is expected to be the basis for Ireland’s application for protected geographical indicator (PGI) status.

Bord Bia research has found that 64% of consumers would be willing to pay more for grass-fed beef. Consumers believe grass-fed cattle lead more natural lives outdoors and are more likely to be ethically treated.

Bord Bia meat and livestock manager Joe Burke said: “It’s about differentiating Irish beef from other countries. It’s no longer good enough to say we have grass-fed beef without robust and verifiable proof. We need to verify this at farm and processing level and the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Quality Assurance scheme provides a good basis for doing this.”

It’s no longer good enough to say we have grass-fed beef without robust and verifiable proof

Teagasc has confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal it has been centrally involved in developing the standard and the calculation of the proportion of the grass in the diet was based on its modelling.

Separately, Bord Bia has also been involved with a draft application by the Department of Agriculture to achieve PGI status for Irish beef.

However, IFA president Tim Cullinan has insisted Bord Bia must revisit its grass-fed standard, particularly the exclusion of all young bulls: “It is wrong that two animals who may spend the same number of days at grass and consume the same grass-fed diet are treated differently. Every animal should be measured against the same criteria.

“Not all young bull systems will fit into the standard but if they do, or if a farmer wants to adjust their systems to fit into the criteria, they should be allowed to do so.

I think we should look at farmers owning any PGI brand before we hand it over to the processors or retailers to exploit

“Bord Bia’s application made reference to Teagasc’s involvement in developing the criteria and I am very surprised that Teagasc have apparently supported the total exclusion of all young bulls – even if they meet the standard,” he said. “I think Teagasc need to clarify their role in this process.”

Cullinan said discussions on the details around a grass-fed standard should be separated from the application for PGI status for Irish beef.

“I think we should look at farmers owning any PGI brand before we hand it over to the processors or retailers to exploit without any guarantee of a price premium for farmers,” he said.