German retail giant Lidl has become the latest retailer to confirm that it will have representatives in attendance at the next meeting of the Beef Market Taskforce in the new year.
The second meeting of the taskforce is scheduled to take place on Thursday, January 9, next month.
In a brief statement to AgriLand, a spokesperson for Lidl said:
Lidl Ireland are committed to supporting the ongoing work of the Beef Taskforce and have accepted an invitation to attend the next meeting scheduled on January 9.
Lidl is the fourth major retailer to announce that it will attend the taskforce meeting, following on from similar statements issued by Tesco, Musgrave Group and Aldi yesterday and today, Monday and Tuesday, December 16 and 17.
Taskforce meeting
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine officially announced the next meeting last night, stating:
“Irish and UK retailers have been invited to participate to discuss market trends and requirements, specifically in relation to the QPS in-spec bonus criteria currently in operation in the Irish beef sector.
A consultancy study on these in-spec bonus criteria has also been commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Meanwhile, the department representative also referenced the first meeting of the taskforce, which took place on Tuesday, December 3.
“Minutes and update reports from that meeting will be published on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine website on Wednesday, December 18,” the spokesperson said.