DEAR SIR: Bord Bia would like to respond to a letter from Robert Woodcock, in last week’s Irish Farmers Journal, requesting an explanation on “Quality Assurance payments”.

It is incorrect to describe this bonus as a “Quality Assured payment”.

Quality Assurance (QA) is a basic requirement of the in-spec bonus which is paid by meat plants for qualifying prime cattle.

This bonus was first introduced in late 2019 as part of the Quality Payment System (QPS), to encourage market-orientated production.

In addition to coming from a QA farm, animals need to meet other eligibility requirements to qualify for the bonus, which include a maximum of four farm residences (ie maximum of three movements), age criteria, at least 60 days on the final farm and eligible conformation grades and fat scores. These criteria, set by the industry, are based upon the requirements of Irish and international customers and reflect market demands.

While membership of Bord Bia’s Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance (SBLAS) scheme does not provide a guarantee of a bonus, the SBLAS is vital to securing the top-paying customers globally.

The Irish beef sector has made significant progress in securing access to over 100 of the EU’s leading retail and food service customers: the vast majority of whom will only buy beef which is Quality Assured.

Over 54,000 farmers are members of the SBLAS, collectively accounting for over 90% of finished cattle annually.

The widespread commitment of Irish beef farmers to the SBLAS underpins the positive reputation of Irish beef by providing enhanced assurances on animal welfare, food safety, traceability and care for the environment.

Bord Bia values the continued participation of all our members in the Quality Assurance programme. The schemes are evolving to provide additional supports and membership benefits to farmers.

These include the Farmer Feedback Report, which provides farmers with an individual sustainability report for their farm and the Farm Sustainability Learning Hub, which provides free, short, online modules across a range of sustainability topics. Both are available to farmer members on farm.bordbia.ie.