A successful application for PGI status on Irish grass-fed beef from Bord Bia will not close the door for any future applications.

Concerns have been raised that if Bord Bia secures a protected geographical indication (PGI), it will prevent anyone else from applying for one.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Countrywide, Bord Bia meat, food and beverages director Padraig Brennan stressed this was not the case: “We’re certainly just looking at an Irish grass-fed PGI application, but other producer groups or groups of farmers are more than able to come together at any time in the future to develop their own PGI application, if they so wish.

“I think there’s a feeling there that the gate will be closed if we put in this application. That’s not the case. There’s many a precedent there to say further applications can come down the line as well.”

He pointed to France where there were several different PGIs based around the Charolais breed.

Sucklers

Earlier in the programme, Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) beef chair Ger O’Brien expressed the view that PGIs were for niche products. He said all 1.7m cattle slaughtered in Ireland annually could not be considered a premium product.

“What I’d be saying is that it should be targeted at a select suckler breed of animal and it should be targeted maybe in certain areas.”

Explaining why the application was for grass-fed beef, Brennan said: “We have to be able to prove that we have something unique in our production method here in Ireland, and we believe that when we look across Europe, that the grass-fed production system is unique.”

Grass

The product is also required to have an existing reputation in the marketplace. Consumer research and conversations with key Irish beef customers show an association with grass and outdoor production systems.

“It’s about striking a balance. You could go for a PGI that will be really niche for a very small amount of product. What we’re trying to do here is come up with an application that is strong, that offers that uniqueness, but also allows the maximum number of farms benefit,” Brennan elaborated.

He believed the grade structure in the application would largely benefit sucker steers and heifers, with the majority of the progeny from the suckler herd qualifying for the PGI.

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