The Irish Grass Fed Beef PGI achieved its final clearance on Wednesday, with the publication of the EU Regulation registering the PGI in the Official Journal of the European Union. It will take effect 20 days after being published in the official journal.

This brings to a successful conclusion an application that began in 2019, and had added complexity, as it applies to the island of Ireland and two jurisdictions.

That required careful management and had at times looked like it might derail the process, as had happened with a previous application.

However, the project teams at Bord Bia and LMC in the north, under the political leadership of Ministers McConalogue and Poots in the Northern Ireland Executive, found a way to solve the problems.

There is a specification for beef to be eligible to carry the Protected Geographical Indication or PGI branding.

Cattle must have an at least 90% grass-based diet, with at least 220 days per year spent outside grazing grass.

They must also be under 36 months for prime beef and 120 months for cows.

Grades are O- or better, with a fat score between 2+ and 5, while cows have to be O+ or better and between 2+ and 5 in fat.