Beef exports to EU markets set to grow by over 25%
It said the prospective ending of the 30-month scheme in Britain will require further significant growth to these markets over the next two years.
Bord Bia director of operations Aidan Cotter said the emergence of close relationships between producers and processors to meet the needs of specific market segments has been a key contributor to this growth.
"The continued development of such relationships will be critical to sustaining an expanded market share," he said. Mr Cotter said the beef industry has made significant progress in developing specialised beef production systems required by premium customers.
This has been evident in the growth of formal producer-processor relationships, set up to ensure cattle are finished to a specified standard in relation to age, feeding regime and conformation. "These relationships demonstrate the capability and expertise within the Irish beef sector to successfully tailor our beef production for specific markets whether the grass-fed beef markets in Britain and northern Europe or cereal-fed beef markets in Italy and Spain," he said.
Mr Cotter said in 2003 it is estimated more than 200,000 cattle 15% of prime cattle supplies will be sourced directly from these schemes. The development has been particularly successful on the Italian market and has also led to increased sales to other markets across Europe as well as the domestic market, he said.
Meanwhile, a directive relaxing what she described as draconian rules governing home baking was welcomed at the ploughing championships by Green Party deputy leader Cllr Mary White.
She said this was a victory for common sense. For far too long Irish people who have wanted to produce niche food from their kitchens have been threatened with closure or a costly expansion scheme, she said.
