Representatives from Sinn Féin have called on Irish Farm Minister Simon Coveney to accompany his NI counterpart, Michelle O’Neill in a visit to Europe as they try to get a derogation on beef labelling requirements north and south of the Irish border.

The move would mean that cattle born in the Republic of Ireland, but finished and slaughtered in NI, would be able to carry an Irish beef label.

It would effectively bring an end to the problem of so-called nomad cattle, which are currently not wanted by many NI processors and attract penalties of up to 30p/kg. The commitment from local factories is that they will find a market for this beef if the issue can be resolved.

Pressure

The pressure from Sinn Féin follows on from a public meeting last week in Ballinasloe, attended by both Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill and local MEP Martina Anderson.

The main purpose of the meeting was to listen to concerns in the west about the lack of activity from NI buyers in southern marts.