Analysis of the cattle kill for the first 10 months of the year shows in excess of 90% of cattle processed in meat plants and abattoirs coming from Bord Bia Beef and Lamb Quality Assured (BLQAS) herds.

Further investigation shows that of animals aged less than 36 months, 94.3% of stock came from quality assured herds.

The number of beef farmers certified under the scheme increased from 35,000 herds at the start of 2014 to 44,300 herds today.

Growth in membership in 2014 has been driven by price incentives, price penalties and difficulties getting non-quality assured cattle processed, especially in the first half of the year.

Some issues remain in getting non-quality assured cattle processed, despite agreement in the last beef forum to cease dual base beef pricing and Minister Coveney’s recent warning to factories to implement agreements made.

Meanwhile, the number of sheep members certified in the scheme has increased to 12,500. This is due in part to farms signing up for dual beef and lamb certification and some plants paying a premium on quality assured lambs. The dairy scheme, which started in 2014, has 3,124 members with an average score in audits of 96%.