Confidence in poultry high, says IFA
IFA Poultry Committee chairman Ned Morrissey said checks with suppliers and processors revealed that demand for poultry has remained at the level that existed before the case of avian flu in Suffolk.
Mr Morrissey said poultry in this country is produced to the highest standards and consumers can be supremely confident that it is a safe product.
He warned, however, that vast amounts of imported meat are being passed off in some hotels, restaurants, pubs and catering establishments as Irish when in reality there is no traceability on the origin of the product.
“This causes problems for Irish poultry farmers, as it is impossible for them to compete with cheaper inferior goods, produced at standards that would not be tolerated here,” he said.
Mr Morrissey said poultry farmers have been pressing Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan for years to have proper labelling, including country-of-origin information, introduced on all meat imports.
The minister granted this to beef but has failed to extend the benefits of transparency to producers and consumers of poultry meat, he said.
Mr Morrissey said at a time when Bord Bia is promoting Ireland as the food island of Europe, the domestic market is being taken from under our feet by cheap inferior imports.
“Traceability is the key to guarantee consumer confidence,” he said.
