Deputy Denis Naughten has called for a ‘Kerrygold type’ brand approach on Irish beef. Speaking on the emergency Brexit law in the Dáil last week, Denis Naughten called for the establishment of a distinctive Irish brand for “certified grass-fed, extensively reared suckler beef” from Ireland that could command a premium price on key world markets.
Denis Naughten highlighted the need to explore the opportunity to export live cattle into the UK in a post-Brexit scenario because the tariffs on live cattle could be significantly less than that for Irish beef exported as meat and could be the difference between survival and wipe-out for suckler farmers.
The Roscommon-Galway TD, speaking in advance of the disclosure that Bord Bia are now considering such a strategy, said: “There is an opportunity to market that in a global market and get a premium price for it. That is what we should be doing and it should be the responsibility of Bord Bia to drive that forward with producers across the country”.
Mr. Naughten has welcomed reports that Bord Bia are now looking to target key premium continental markets for Irish Suckler reared beef.
He went on to say that “in a no-deal Brexit scenario it is imperative that Bord Bia puts plans in place to make British consumers aware of the positive attributes of Irish beef compared with beef produced in, and imported from, third countries such as the United States or various South American countries.
“It is important that we point out to British consumers that 70% of the deforestation of the Amazon – the lungs of our planet – is to provide land for cattle ranches. Some 11% of the greenhouse gas emissions involved in food production is directly linked to food transportation.
“Surely it makes far more sense to bring beef from Dublin to London, a distance of 464 km, than 11,000 km from Buenos Aires to London, a journey 24 times longer. The distance from London to Newcastle is the same as the distance from London to Dublin,” Mr. Naughten pointed out.
