An independent TD from the Roscommon-Galway constituency has called for the establishment of a “distinctive Irish brand” for certified grass-fed, extensively reared suckler beef from Ireland.

Speaking in the Dail last week, Denis Naughten explained that this “could command a premium price on key world markets”.

Naughten also highlighted the need to explore the opportunity to export live cattle into the UK in a post-Brexit scenario.

He outlined that the tariffs on live cattle could be “significantly less” than that for Irish beef exported as meat.

He said: “This could be the difference between survival and wipe-out for suckler farmers.”

Naughten added: “In a no-deal Brexit scenario, it is imperative that Bord Bia puts plans in place to make British consumers aware of the positive attributes of Irish beef compared with beef produced in, and imported from, third countries such as the US or various South American countries.

It is important that we point out to British consumers that 70% of the deforestation of the Amazon – the lungs of our planet – is to provide land for cattle ranches.

“Some 11% of the greenhouse gas emissions involved in food production is directly linked to food transportation.

“Surely, it makes far more sense to bring beef from Dublin to London, a distance of 464km, than 11,000km from Buenos Aires to London; a journey 24 times longer.”

Concluding, Naughten reiterated his point saying: “The distance from London to Newcastle is the same as the distance from London to Dublin.”