Galtee to use Bord Bia Origin Ireland logo

GALTEE, the country’s biggest selling family of branded rashers, announced yesterday that it has started to use the Bord Bia Origin Ireland logo on its products.

In a separate development, pig producers protested at a Kerry Foods plant in Shillelagh, Co Wicklow, after claiming the company failed to place the Origin Ireland logo on its ham products. A spokesman for Kerry said it is the largest user of Irish pigmeat on the Irish market.

“We fully support the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme,” he said.

Galtee meanwhile said it expects the Bord Bia logo will be displayed across the full range of its standard rasher packaging by the end of this month. It has appointed Dawn Farm Foods as its main rasher production contractor in a move which will support about 45 jobs in Dawn’s newly commissioned meat facility in Co Tipperary.

Meanwhile, the IFA Pigs Committee chairman Michael Maguire, speaking at the Shillelagh protest, said the failure of Kerry Foods to place the Origin Ireland logo on its ham products, is leading to confusion.

“Consumers are entitled to know the origin of the ham they buy. We are insisting that an Irish company such as Kerry Group supports Irish pig producers.

“This can be achieved by using the Bord Bia logo,” he said. Mr Maguire said the meat produced under the Quality Assurance Origin Ireland logo guarantees consumers the highest standards.

Kerry Group has 30% of the ham market, but none of their products display the Origin Ireland logo.

“The failure to properly identify pigmeat is misleading consumers and damaging Irish pig production which is worth over 400 million to the economy and employs 7,000 people,” he said.