A group of young sheep farmers from across Ireland recently travelled to France to visit what is described as ‘the world’s largest fresh food market’ to find out more about how lamb is traded through the market.

The young farmers on the trip are part of the Kepak Young Sheep Farmer Forum, a discussion group formed by Kepak to explore all aspects relevant to the Irish sheep market from farm to fork.

Agriland was also in attendance on the trip to meet the young farmers and report on the visit to Rungis International Market.

The Kepak Young Sheep Farmer Forum members are as follows:

Aoife Mahony, Co. Galway;
Michael Feely, Co. Roscommon;
Darren Maguire, Co. Mayo;
Rachel McCormack, Co. Roscommon;
Morgan Neary, Co. Galway;
Tom Larkin, Co. Meath;
Nicola Kennedy, from New Zealand farming in counties Meath and Kildare;
Paddy White, Co. Longford;
Rachel Briody, Co. Longford;
Mark Norse, Co. Wicklow;
Billy Smyth, Co. Meath;
Evan Walsh, Co. Donegal;
Ava Moffit, Co. Cavan.

Delegates on the trip arrived in Paris on Wednesday evening, July 23, and on arrival, sampled some of the French cuisine at the traditional French restaurant, L’Auberge Aveyronnaise.

The restaurant had a number of plaques displayed at the entrance which are received when the premises buys the carcass of an award-winning animal.

These plaques give the corresponding animals a premium price and are displayed in the restaurants the carcasses go to.

Plaques on display at L’Auberge Aveyronnaise

While beef and lamb were the mainstays on the menu, delegates also got the opportunity to sample dishes including frog legs, snails, and Aligot, which is a dish made with cheese blended with mashed potatoes.

The role of tour guide for the trip was left in the capable hands of Joe Walsh, one of Kepak’s longest-serving employees, who delivered an informative after-dinner speech on the first night on all aspects of sheep production both in Ireland and further afield and the requirements of the key markets Irish lamb is subsequently sold into.

Joe Walsh has been working with Kepak for over 35 years

A Co. Waterford native, Walsh started working with Kepak in 1986 buying lambs, and arrived in Paris to work for the company in 1988.

Walsh, who is a fountain of knowledge by all accounts, is still based in Paris working with Kepak some 37 years later.

Speaking to the group, he said: “August 1, marks the feast of Lughnasa, honouring Lú, the ancient Irish god of light, skill, and leadership.”

He likened Irish shepherds to Lú, a warrior and master craftsman known for his versatility and strength.

He quoted from the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention which recognises certain practices or livelihoods as having “outstanding universal value” and which should form part of the common heritage of human kind.

“Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today and what we pass on to the future generations,” he said.

What is Rungis?

It was an early start on the Thursday morning of the trip with delegates gathering for the bus outside the hotel at 4:00a.m ahead of the visit to Rungis International Market.

Located to the south of Paris, Rungis International Market is described as ‘the world’s largest fresh food market’.

Speaking to Agriland, Walsh put the scale of the market into context, saying: “The market covers an area of almost 600ac.

Lambs slaughtered at the Kepak Athleague site in Co. Roscommon that were sold at Rungis Market on the day of the visit

“There is an annual turnover at the market of approximately €12 billion, there are approximately 1,200 companies and 12,000 workers here as well as 30-40 cafes and restaurants.

“The biggest part of the tonnage going through Rungis would be fruit and vegetables. It would be about 70% of it but there is also a significant amount of beef and lamb sold through Rungis.

“”A lot of the French beef in Rungis is sold on commission, everything Kepak sells in there is at a price.

“Irish beef and lamb is perceived in this market as being of good quality. It has a great image.”

Meat and offal are traded in huge refrigerated warehouses at the market. Each seller has their own shop with carcasses hanging on rails.

Buyers come along and put a mark on their purchased carcasses and have the option of getting their carcasses cut up further also.

The meat is then loaded into trucks and dispatched to the shop or restaurant for sale to the customers.

Some of the traders had pictures of the cattle breeds attached to the carcasses with the name of the breeder also available.

Trading at Rungis begins at approximately 1:00a.m. and is largely wrapped up by 8:00-9:00a.m.

It is not uncommon to see staff enjoying a glass of wine at 7:30a.m and a dinner, having finished their days work by early morning.

The market is a hive of bustling activity with a real sense of the old-school way of doing business.

The market is filled with characters, merchants and traders from countries all around the globe. Some of these people’s families have worked at Rungis for generations and others are only new in the door.

Photo showing Rungis Market in the early days

The site offers a unique environment for people to experience the trade of fresh produce at the coal face and see first-hand what sells and what will not.

With lambs from Ireland, Britain, and France and many other countries on sale in the market, competition on carcass price and quality is high. Buyers are all anxious to secure the best value and quality they possibly can.

While there was a great display of beef and lamb in the market on the day, the drop in supplies of both across Europe was noted on a number of occasions during the visit.

One of the traders had a large offering of lambs on their stand that had been slaughtered at the Kepak factory in Athleague, Co. Roscommon, earlier that week.

Agriland spoke with a meat trader at Rungis, Francis Fauchere from Eurodis Viande, a third-generation butcher who has been trading at Rungis since 1985.

Francis Fauchere from Eurodis Viande trades 1,000 lambs/day at Rungis

The butcher trades 1,000 lambs/day through Rungis, half of which are Irish lambs and the other half of which are UK lambs.

When asked by Agriland what he likes to see in Irish lamb carcasses, he said: “I look at the colour of the meat and carcass weight, I want them no more than 20kg”.

He also said he buys most of his Irish lamb from June to October.

This butcher was also supplying 18 months dry-aged Wagyu beef from a producer group in Spain with 200,000 cattle in it.

The refrigerated warehouses where fresh meat is traded continue as far as the eye can see

Damien Conry from Kepak Athleague, who was also on the trip, highlighted how challenging it was for the first Irish meat traders and truck drivers who came out to France and continental Europe to sell and supply Irish produce.

He said those pioneers forged the foundation market routes and market relationships for Irish beef and lamb – some of which are still in place today.

There was broad selection of offal on offer at Rungis, including tripe, liver, feet, and cattle heads. There was also produce from other Irish processors spotted in the market.

Delegates also got a tour of the fruit and flower markets at Rungis.

These are equally as impressive in scale, and Joe Walsh said the region of the market that sells the fresh flowers is often the site of heated negotiations as the quality of the flowers must be impeccable for resale.

Next it was on to supermarket Grand Frais to view the Novo Viande meat counter. There was a display of Irish lamb here as well as a range of other French meat products.

The forum then visited a Carrefour supermarket to see how the meat products are presented on the supermarket shelf and what the French consumer is looking out for.

After some sightseeing around Paris, the Kepak Young Sheep Farmer Forum then visited the Irish College in Paris, where Co. Wexford native Fr. Jim Doyle shared some of his knowledge of French history and the role of the Irish College in Paris.

After the short but action-packed trip, the delegates then headed back for the airport to return home.

Kepak Young Sheep Farmer Forum

Since launching in April, the Kepak Young Sheep Farmer Forum, supported by Bord Bia and Mountbellew Agricultural College, has brought together a dynamic group of young farmers to explore innovation and best practices in sheep farming.

Participants have taken part in a range of activities including a visit to the Kepak Athleague factory in Co. Roscommon, tours of lowland and hill farms and an education session with researchers from Teagasc Athenry, Co. Galway.

What is Rungis?

Kepak Young Sheep Farmer Forum

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Rungis International Market

Video: Young sheep farmers visit world's largest fresh-food market

Young sheep farmers visit world's largest fresh-food market