EU recognition of food products could create thousands of jobs, FG claims

FINE Gael has called for a major initiative to encourage food producers and processors to benefit from EU-wide endorsement of the origin and quality of the food they produce, claiming that such a move would help create thousands of jobs in the Irish food sector.

Shane McEntee, Fine Gael’s deputy agriculture spokesperson, said that this country is lagging well behind other European Union member states in getting official EU designation of the origin and quality of our produce.

“Irish farmers, butchers, cheese makers and similar artisan producers should be able to get the same kind of EU quality brand endorsement as — for example — the French get for their wines, the Italians for their cheeses and the British for their ciders.”

Such an initiative would help to increase demand for Irish quality produce overseas, boost exports “and create thousands of jobs in farming and food production,” Mr McEntee said.

The TD made his comments during a fact-finding visit to Hugh Maguire’s internationally renowned and award winning craft butchers in Ashbourne, Co Meath.

“EU law protects the names of regional foods under three labels — protected designation of origin, protected geographical indication and traditional speciality guaranteed.

“To date, only four Irish brands have availed of this EU system — Imokilly Cheese, Connemara Lamb, Timoleague Brown Pudding and Clare Island Salmon.

“Yet, in France, 230 products are protected, 180 in Italy and more than 50 in Britain,” Mr McEntee said.

“I want to see a co-ordinated approach to getting our produce recognised internationally, not just as Irish, but as quality premium-priced food so that the emerging middle classes in countries like India and China start to demand it as their first choice.”

Mr McEntee said that the Minister for Agriculture in the new government should mandate Bord Bia and BIM to develop a programme to ensure more Irish artisan producers qualify for official EU recognition.