‘Ireland will find it hard to produce enough beef to meet demand’

IRELAND will find it hard to produce enough high quality beef to meet growing overseas demand in the coming years, predicts Bord Bia chief executive Aidan Cotter.

Speaking at the IFA’s annual beef conference in Tullamore, Co Offaly, Mr Cotter said that Bord Bia is finding that quality markets such as Germany are already looking to buy more Irish beef than is currently available. With the Government-appointed Beef Action Group revising upward its 2020 beef production increases from 20% up to 40%, the sector will also have to be careful to maintain its focus on higher beef quality than its competitors.

Mr Cotter said: “The challenge with having a well-earned reputation for quality product is that we will have to manage demand across the marketplace. Our customers simply cannot get enough Irish beef.