Bord Bia has said that a proposed requirement to provide space for animals in the new quality assurance (QA) standard “does not go beyond” current requirements under the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS).
In a communication from Bord Bia to stakeholders, seen by Agriland, the Irish Food Board said that its position “has always been” that it would not comment on specific criteria in the impending overhaul of the QA standards until all the criteria for the new standard is fully agreed.
However, addressing media commentary on the new standard, Bord Bia moved to clarify the current position on certain aspects of the development of the new QA standard.
“Proposals on space allowance in the draft standard do not go beyond current requirements in the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme.”
As well as that, Bord Bia said that the submission of geotagged photos of cattle “has never been discussed at a TAC (Technical Advisory Committee) meeting”.
The TAC is the committee that oversees the development of Bord Bia producer standards, including the SBLAS, the Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS), and the new producer standard.
Bord Bia went on to say that current proposals on the use of low-emission slurry spreading (LESS) equipment do not go beyond requirements under current legislation.
According to Bord Bia’s communication, mandatory use of LESS equipment has also never been discussed at a TAC meeting.
There are also no proposals for a mandatory minimum area for biodiversity on the table, Bord Bia said, apart from what is already required under current legislation and regulations.
The Bord Bia statement added: “Bord Bia understands that it may be frustrating for farmers to not have the exact detail of the new standard currently. However, [we] will provide full details of the new requirements to all farmer members to ensure sufficient notice before any farmer is audited under the new standard.”
As Agriland reported this week, the new draft producer standard for Irish farmers is expected to be piloted “early in 2025”.
Stage one of the five stage sign-off process is expected to be completed by the end of this year, allowing for the pilot of the draft standard to commence early next year.