Quality Irish products can weather the Brexit storm
Ireland’s food and farm industries are in a state of suspense due to the Brexit question mark over the main market for their produce, the UK, .
But they are responding in the best way possible, by delivering some of the world’s best tasting foods.
In recent weeks, they have won awards across the board in international food competitions. They can be assured that if the worst comes to the worst, and if trade disagreements and border taxes cast a shadow over their prospects, they have products which the most discerning customers will seek out, because they are the best.
With the UK taking 272,000 tonnes of Irish beef (54% of our beef exports), worth about €1bn per year, it came as a welcome boost to those worrying about Brexit, when Ireland topped the gold medals list in the World Steak Challenge contested by companies in 17 countries.
It was the subsidiary in Poland of an Irish company, ABP Poland, that took the World’s Best Steak title.
However, Ireland topped the gold medals haul with three for Irish products from the Kepak Group.
Then, Irish beef steaks were declared quadruple 2017 winners in the prestigious annual International Taste and Quality Institute (iTQi) Awards. The Brussels-based iTQi is one of the world’s leading organisations for testing food and drink products.
The winning products were produced at ABP Cahir.
ABP Ireland said the wins were further endorsement of their Ultra Tender process for their beef, which is used in over 100 Michelin starred restaurants across the world — the kind of reputation for quality that guarantees Irish steaks will still be sought out even if Brexit leaves the trading terms less favourable.
More than 60% of Ireland’s cheese exports, and 30% of our total exports of dairy products and ingredients (worth about €1bn per year) go to the UK
, and are therefore threatened by
Brexit
.
But the Irish cheesemakers who won three outright awards, among the 5,685 entries from over 50 countries at the recent International Cheese Awards at Nantwich in Cheshire, England, know they have the quality products to survive trading setbacks.
The Irish best in show winners were Carbery for the champion convenience cheese; Dairygold for the best overseas cheddar creamery block; and Glanbia for best extra mature cheddar. Four other show trophies went to Ornua, Carbery, Kerry Newmarket, and Dairygold.
These wins followed a strong Irish performance in the recent annual British Cheese Awards, where cheeses made in West Cork by the Durrus Cheese company and by Carbery were gold medal winners.
Several of the cheeses winning big awards come from the largest single cheese-producing facility in Ireland, the Carbery facility in Ballineen, Co Cork, which produces almost 25% of Ireland’s huge annual cheese output
The UK takes 61% of Irish pigmeat exports, and even the pork lard made by James Whelan Butchers in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, is now acclaimed, winning one of the world’s most coveted food awards, as one of this week’s 165 three-star winners from the 12,336 products from around the world judged in the annual Great Taste awards organised by the UK’s Guild of Fine Food.
A highly prized Great Taste accolade went to 4,347 of the 12,336 products judged, and a remarkable 444 of these came from Ireland.
No fewer than 18 ABP Ireland beef products were awarded one or two stars by the judging panel of 500 industry experts.
Three stars were awarded for nearly a dozen products from the Republic of Ireland, and for several products from Northern Ireland.
The companies involved will wait with much anticipation for the announcement on September 4 in London of the Great Taste 2017 Supreme Champion. This tremendous accolade went to James Whelan Butchers in 2015 and to West Cork’s WoodcockSmokery in 2006.
It would be ironic but sad if the Republic of Ireland won this Supreme Championship in 2017, and if Brexit made the winning product less affordable in the UK in 2019. However, all Irish producers can do is to produce the best quality foods, and prepare as best they can for the unpredictable Brexit outcome.
