The fourth meeting of the beef taskforce was held last week, with the draft application for protected geographical indication (PGI) status for Irish grass-fed beef top of the agenda.

Bord Bia has applied to an EU fund for €3.2m for marketing funding in Italy and Germany and the Netherlands over a three-year period. If this application is unsuccessful, Bord Bia will use money from its own funds for the campaign.

IFA president Tim Cullinan maintains that a number of concerns around the proposed PGI remain unresolved, such as the exclusion of young bulls.

The ICSA has also expressed concerns o the current PGI application

“Any benefits must go to farmers, particularly suckler farmers, not factories or retailers,” he said.

The INHFA, along with 21 others, has officially lodged an objection to the current PGI status application for Irish grass-fed beef. Its president Colm O’Donnell said: “We were left with no choice in the matter because of the lack of consultation and debate on the application. The ICSA has also expressed concerns o the current PGI application, with president Edmond Phelan stating that the ICSA would not support the PGI application in its current format. The next beef taskforce meeting takes palace on 12 October.