Additional reporting by Niall Claffey
Over 150 representatives from the Irish meat industry gathered at the Bord Bia Meat Marketing Seminar to review the global meat industry in 2019 and look ahead to the opportunities and challenges of 2020 and beyond.
The seminar is taking place this morning, Friday, January 10, in Naas, Co. Kildare, and features representatives from the industry at government, producer, and processor levels.
According to Bord Bia, it was a year of mixed fortunes for the Irish meat and livestock industry with beef and sheepmeat exports declining by 7% each in value, while pigmeat and poultry rose in value by 14% and 5% respectively.
Bord Bia CEO, Tara McCarthy, who opened the seminar, acknowledged the pressures faced by the industry but underlined the industry’s ability to respond to the opportunities of tomorrow’s changing consumer:
“Undoubtedly, we face into a future where meat consumption is changing with consumers looking to eat less but better,” she said.
“However, the Irish meat industry, underpinned by the efforts of our primary producers and farmers, is extremely well-placed to deliver on these needs and provide the reassurances and innovative solutions that increasingly discerning consumers look for around transparency, animal welfare, and sustainability.
“Origin Green, our national sustainability programme, remains key to meeting many of these needs, while strengthening our competitive position as a global meat supplier.”