Bord Bia has confirmed to Agriland that it is currently in the process of establishing a monitoring group to oversee the rollout of the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for ‘Irish Grass Fed Beef’.
As part of an agreement previously reached by the Beef Taskforce, Bord Bia committed to establish a monitoring group once the PGI was granted.
Bord Bia said that the role of the new group, which will include representatives from industry and farm organisations, will be “to monitor the use of the ‘Irish Grass Fed Beef’ PGI and consider its promotional activity needs”.
Bord Bia
The European Commission granted all-island PGI status for ‘Irish Grass Fed Beef’ in December.
Last week, the first PGI beef product to be made available to European consumers appeared on shelves in 170 Esselunga supermarkets in Italy.
Bord Bia said that the PGI status can help “to promote the unique characteristics of Irish beef, and further distinguish our beef farmers are producers of a premium quality product”.
“In an increasingly competitive marketplace, PGI status for Irish beef can support our premium positioning in key markets of Italy, France, Belgium, and Switzerland, where PGIs resonate,” a spokesperson added.
Bord Bia held a briefing for beef processors on the PGI application process earlier in the year, with one processor, ABP Group, already bringing product to market as of mid-March.
“Momentum and interest in the PGI is building and Bord Bia is working with the industry to bring more PGI product to the market,” the spokesperson said.
Bord Bia will run PGI trade and consumer promotion in Italy over the coming months, with Italy being used as the initial target market, before launching into Switzerland, Belgium and France.
PGI beef
In order for farmers to supply PGI ‘Irish Grass Fed Beef’ they must be certified members of the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) for their cattle to be eligible.
Farmers purchasing cattle for finishing who are aiming for them to qualify for the grass fed criteria should ensure that they have quality assurance (QA) coverage on previous farms.
To qualify as grass fed, at least 90% of the animal’s feed intake over its lifetime should consist of either grass or grass-based forage, while the minimum days at grass is 220 per year.
A tolerance of up to 40 days less is allowed where soil type or weather impacts outdoor grazing.
This information is collected as part of the Bord Bia audit and farmers do not have to provide any additional information for PGI eligibility.
Steers and heifers need to be aged less than 36 months at slaughter, with conformation of O= or better and fat class between 2+ and 4+.
In addition, better-grading cull cows aged up to 120 months with conformation of R- or better and with fat score between 2+ and 5 are eligible.
For a product to be eligible for a PGI label, the processing plant must be a member of the Bord Bia Food Processor Standard and have been audited for use of the PGI.
When asked if farmers will be offered a premium by processors to supply cattle for PGI beef, Bord Bia said that it “has no role in setting the prices paid by beef processors to farmers and therefore cannot comment”.