UK re-entry will hit our beef hardest

IRELAND’S beef industry will bear the brunt, when the UK’s cattle aged over 30 months re-enter the EU market, and Ireland also faces a big threat from decoupling, according to an appraisal by Rabobank of European beef industry prospects.

Irish beef producers have focused on providing high-quality and fresh beef to EU retail channels, according to the international bank's food and agribusiness research unit.

But it questions whether Ireland's continuous flow of high-quality product can be maintained, once the force of decoupling is felt.