Bord Bia has launched a campaign in Germany which will be rolled out to other European countries including Italy and Spain in a bid to reverse declining Irish steak sales.

The restaurant and foodservice market accounts for a third of all Irish beef exported to the continent and COVID-19 has had a drastic impact on year-to-year sales, with the volume of beef exported dropping by 15%.

While restaurants have reopened in some parts of Europe, the uncertainty of the impact of COVID-19 means that the food board are instead pushing steak sales in retail markets.

Bord Bia acknowledged that steak only accounted for 13% of the carcass but pointed out that it commanded the highest price and equated to approximately 1/3 of the overall value of the entire carcass.

“Bord Bia has been working alongside key customers in our European markets to create a consumer-focused campaign that aims to provide a much-needed boost to Irish steak sales,” Bord Bia’s Global Business Development Director, Ailish Forde said.

“While retail demand for steaks remained buoyant over the summer months, we need to redouble our efforts to sustain and grow sales into autumn and winter.”

She said that plans were in place to further that campaign into 2021.