Given the amount of flak it has taken, I fear the PGI ship is sunk before it leaves the harbour. We could spend hours working out ways in which farmers could claim the ownership, but I think the damage is done.

The initial proposal threw the net wide on what animals qualified. Some people thought it included too much, while others felt more classes of stock should have been brought in. Has it been a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth?

As a suckler farmer finishing bulls, if I looked at the world within the confines of my own farm I might take one view, but if I was to step back and look at the bigger picture it would be different. Creating a suckler brand brings difficulties. Beef raised from beef cows is not unique. Our beef herd makes up 0.5% of the beef cows in the world. The term “suckler” is used to describe beef cows both here and in the UK, but nowhere else. Within those confines, it means little, if anything, to the majority of people outside farming circles.

And if it’s anything like it was in our agricultural science class in secondary school, then I imagine it raises a few sniggers and little else.

With Brexit looming, one would hope that the British familiarity with Irish beef will work in our favour but you can’t place all your trust in hope.

In an effort to get trade deals done with the US, British MPs seem willing to lower their food standards. That isn’t good news for farmers here or there. Deals to bring in cheaper beef from either the Commonwealth or South America are a possibility and that will provide challenges.

In Meat Standards Australia, Australian beef has a card up its sleeve that could pose a serious threat. In the early 1990s, the Australian beef industry identified variable eating quality as a major contributor to declining beef consumption. The difference in eating quality between the tropical (Bos indicus cattle) and the European breeds (Bos taurus) was an issue.

To address this, the industry got together and committed research funding to see what could be done. The result was a system that enabled the consumer to better predict the eating quality of cooked beef prior to consumption. Grades marked on the packaging allow the customer a choice.

If they get increased access to the UK market, Australian beef sellers will put their best foot forward and there’s a real chance that could be our direct competition within a few months.

If trying to work out a PGI for Ireland was a political struggle for those involved, can you imagine what will be involved in trying to introduce a similar taste programme here?

The initial results of a taste trial highlighted potential stumbling blocks and no doubt each breed society will look to defend its own patch.