Palmer leads way for beef farmers
Presenting the BQAS certificate to Mr Palmer, Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan said certification to this standard is necessary to ensure that Irish beef producers can continue to compete effectively in the marketplace.
Aidan Cotter, Chief Executive, Bord Bia, said: “Bord Bia revised its Beef Quality Assurance Scheme in 2004 to bring it into line with the International benchmark standard EN 45011.
“The new standard was issued earlier this year and is now fully operational.
“In an increasingly competitive marketplace, EN45011 certification is now the necessary next step in providing customers and consumers with the assurances they expect.”
Bord Bia has set up a separate certification committee to review all farm audits and decide on certification.
Farmers who meet the required standard are issued with a “certified members” card which can be used by farmers as evidence of their certification status.
A specialist suckler beef producer, Mr Palmer won the best weanling category in the 2004 Bord Bia Quality Beef awards.
He works closely with Teagasc.
According to Minister Coughlan, the Bord Bia Beef Quality Assurance Scheme has played a significant role in securing the market position of prime Irish beef.
