Bord Bia in campaign to encourage consumers to buy Irish chickens

BORD Bia and the poultry industry have joined forces for a campaign to promote quality Irish chickens.

Three-quarters of all chicken produced in Ireland are consumed on the domestic market, with the remaining quarter exported, primarily to Britain. However, chicken imports were valued at €276 million last year.

The campaign is to encourage consumers to look for the Bord Bia quality mark when purchasing chicken.

New figures for the month of March show a 13% increase in the volume of overall chicken retail sales in Ireland compared to 2008.

According to Bord Bia, consumers, by purchasing chicken carrying its quality mark, can be confident that the product has been produced to the highest standards and is sourced from quality assured farms.

Irish consumers eat more chicken than most of their European counterparts, with each individual consuming in the region of 29kg a year.

Bord Bia chief executive Aidan Cotter said poultry meat consumption accounts for almost 30% of total meat consumed here.

However, imports continue to exert downward pressure on the indigenous Irish poultry industry.

“There are currently over 700 producers and seven major chicken processors participating in our Poultry Quality Assurance Scheme.

“We estimate that 98% of all chicken produced in Ireland now falls within the scheme,” he said.

Irish Farmers’ Association Poultry Committee chairman Ned Morrissey said the sector makes a valuable contribution to the Irish agricultural economy and employs 6,000 people in rural Ireland.

However, chicken imports in 2008, totalled 74,000 tonnes. An estimated 90% of chicken used in the foodservice sector is imported.