Irish beef in the US gets a 'unique' label

Meat industry heavyweights have welcomed the US government's decision to formally brand Irish beef as 'uniquely grass-fed'

The recent approval is the result of three years of talks between Bord Bia and the United States Department of Agriculture, aimed at allowing the Irish food board to get closer to US customers.

Speaking at the Irish Grasslands Association beef conference in Kells, Paul Nolan of Dawn Meats described the move as "a big positive".

"The approval is very much welcomed but what is very important in this is the commercial side of things.

"Currently US state prices and supermarket prices are at best in line with what is going on in Europe, so obviously we would be looking for more encouragement to major on what we might do in the US, but we are delighted with it," he said.

As Brexit negotiations commence in Brussels, Mr Nolan also highlighted the huge potential of the Chinese market for the Irish beef sector.

"There is a certain belief that we may be in a position to export (to China) from the early part of 2018 and if that opportunity arises we will fully explore it and exploit it to the best of our ability from an Irish perspective," he said.

Platform

At the event, Joe Burke, Bord Bia's beef and livestock specialist, gave a presentation on the implications of Brexit for Irish beef. He described the latest US development as "another string to our bow".

"It gives us a platform to present the grass fed credentials, the natural story and that it's quality assured from a benchmarked sustainable production system," he said

The approval means Irish beef can be branded as 80pc grass fed, fully traceable from farm to fork and raised on family farms in the US.