I’m no stranger to hosting groups on the farm, but recently I had a first: welcoming 18 top chefs from France and Belgium, who came to learn more about organic beef farming.
The chefs are members of the Chefs’ Irish Beef Club visit, which is a Bord Bia initiative to promote Irish beef internationally. With nine Michelin stars between them, they are among the best chefs in the world.
They are obviously experts in cooking the best beef and they showed genuine interest in seeing how it is raised. There were plenty of questions, with some translation helpfully provided by Germain Milet from Bord Bia’s French office.
The grass-based system was the first point of interest for the chefs. I finish my cattle off a complete grass-based system. There is no meal feeding on the farm. When conditions are right, the results are strong, with daily gains of around 1.15kg and cattle finished at 18 or 19 months.
Kay with Germain Millet, Bord Bia.
We walked a number of paddocks with multispecies swards made up of chicory, plantain, grasses and clover. The farm has been certified organic by the Organic Trust since 2012.
As an organic system, there is no chemical fertiliser, so clover plays a key role as the main nitrogen fixer.
I have been growing multi species here before it became the ‘in’ thing. All new reseeds will be multispecies and there are lots of benefits. Chicory and plantain have anthelmintic properties that help reduce the need for dosing. In periods of drought, plantain’s deep taproot means it continues to grow well. It is a plant that keeps giving.
Outwintering
Outwintering was another area of interest. Cattle are outwintered on redstart, which is a cross between kale and rape, and the weight gain from it is absolutely brilliant. They’re also fed red clover silage and multispecies silage.
I explained that I’ve chosen mainly Angus because of their ease to finish, docile nature, and easy calving. All my finished cattle are sold to The Good Herdsman, and we were joined by John Fennessy who explained what they are looking for.
All the animals they buy must be Bord Bia Quality Assured, fully organic, and from steers and heifers under 36 months. They want animals between 250kg and 450kg cold weight, while the ideal carcass weight for their customers is 320-330kg, with a fat score of two, three or four.
There is often talk about telling the story of Irish beef, but visits like this bring a level of understanding that is difficult to convey otherwise. Systems can be explained, but it is only by walking the farm, seeing the cattle and understanding the environment they are produced in that the full picture becomes clear.
For myself, it was a day that differs slightly from the norm, and it was a pleasure to host them and Bord Bia. For the chefs, it provides a direct connection to the origin of the beef they work with and support.
Kay O’Sullivan, organic beef and sheep farmer
Pasture raised in Ireland
In 2023, Bord Bia secured EU funding to help promote organic beef and sheepmeat across four important European markets – Austria, Sweden, Germany and Belgium.
Our EU Organic Beef and Lamb – Pasture Raised in Ireland campaign began in June 2024, and will run until June 2027. Over three years, Bord Bia is investing €2.7 million into the campaign, with 80% of that co-funded by the EU. It’s a significant commitment, and it reflects the opportunity we see for Irish organic produce.
What’s been particularly encouraging is how strongly Ireland’s pasture-based system is landing in these markets. It’s a real point of difference for us. You can see it clearly in the reaction from chefs – especially when they hear about Kay’s fully grass-based system and the outwintering of cattle. Several of the Belgian chefs who visited Kay O’Sullivan’s farm have already attended our campaign events in Belgium, where they prepared and cooked Irish organic beef and lamb.
This is the first time we’ve had an EU co-funded campaign specifically for organic beef and lamb. It comes at a pivotal time for the sector. While demand is growing, supply is still relatively limited. The goal is clear: by continuing to build demand both at home and in key export markets, we can support increased organic production over time.
Jane Ryan, EU Programme Executive, Bord Bia
Consumer demand supports organic sector
Strong consumer demand continues to underpin confidence in the Irish organic sector, supported by both targeted marketing activity and clear evidence of market growth. Bord Bia’s More ganic campaign is a national consumer campaign running in the Irish market, with the most recent activity taking place across April and May. The campaign encourages shoppers to choose Irish organic food more often by positioning it as a practical, everyday option, using the message “Make your meals a little More ganic.”
Its aim is to build familiarity, trust and preference for Irish organic food across a range of categories, supporting demand at retail.
Retail data shows that this consumer focused approach is resonating. Numerator figures indicate that the Irish organic market delivered value growth of 12.8% over the course of 2025. Growth was driven mainly by shoppers purchasing larger volumes of organic food per shopping trip, rather than an increase in shopping frequency. Performance varied by category, with organic poultry, fresh meat and fresh fruit among the strongest performers compared with their conventional counterparts.
Taken together, sustained domestic consumer demand, strong retail performance in 2025 and continued movement through conversion point to increasingly solid foundations for the Irish organic sector
This demand led growth is increasingly reflected at farm level. Figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine show that over 260 farms moved to full organic status at the start of 2026, with the largest numbers concentrated in beef and suckler systems and sheep production, alongside strong representation from tillage and horticulture. Smaller numbers of farms also achieved full organic status across dairy, poultry, equine and mixed enterprises.
Taken together, sustained domestic consumer demand, strong retail performance in 2025 and continued movement through conversion point to increasingly solid foundations for the Irish organic sector.
Tara Bane, Bord Bia Organic Sector Manager
I’m no stranger to hosting groups on the farm, but recently I had a first: welcoming 18 top chefs from France and Belgium, who came to learn more about organic beef farming.
The chefs are members of the Chefs’ Irish Beef Club visit, which is a Bord Bia initiative to promote Irish beef internationally. With nine Michelin stars between them, they are among the best chefs in the world.
They are obviously experts in cooking the best beef and they showed genuine interest in seeing how it is raised. There were plenty of questions, with some translation helpfully provided by Germain Milet from Bord Bia’s French office.
The grass-based system was the first point of interest for the chefs. I finish my cattle off a complete grass-based system. There is no meal feeding on the farm. When conditions are right, the results are strong, with daily gains of around 1.15kg and cattle finished at 18 or 19 months.
Kay with Germain Millet, Bord Bia.
We walked a number of paddocks with multispecies swards made up of chicory, plantain, grasses and clover. The farm has been certified organic by the Organic Trust since 2012.
As an organic system, there is no chemical fertiliser, so clover plays a key role as the main nitrogen fixer.
I have been growing multi species here before it became the ‘in’ thing. All new reseeds will be multispecies and there are lots of benefits. Chicory and plantain have anthelmintic properties that help reduce the need for dosing. In periods of drought, plantain’s deep taproot means it continues to grow well. It is a plant that keeps giving.
Outwintering
Outwintering was another area of interest. Cattle are outwintered on redstart, which is a cross between kale and rape, and the weight gain from it is absolutely brilliant. They’re also fed red clover silage and multispecies silage.
I explained that I’ve chosen mainly Angus because of their ease to finish, docile nature, and easy calving. All my finished cattle are sold to The Good Herdsman, and we were joined by John Fennessy who explained what they are looking for.
All the animals they buy must be Bord Bia Quality Assured, fully organic, and from steers and heifers under 36 months. They want animals between 250kg and 450kg cold weight, while the ideal carcass weight for their customers is 320-330kg, with a fat score of two, three or four.
There is often talk about telling the story of Irish beef, but visits like this bring a level of understanding that is difficult to convey otherwise. Systems can be explained, but it is only by walking the farm, seeing the cattle and understanding the environment they are produced in that the full picture becomes clear.
For myself, it was a day that differs slightly from the norm, and it was a pleasure to host them and Bord Bia. For the chefs, it provides a direct connection to the origin of the beef they work with and support.
Kay O’Sullivan, organic beef and sheep farmer
Pasture raised in Ireland
In 2023, Bord Bia secured EU funding to help promote organic beef and sheepmeat across four important European markets – Austria, Sweden, Germany and Belgium.
Our EU Organic Beef and Lamb – Pasture Raised in Ireland campaign began in June 2024, and will run until June 2027. Over three years, Bord Bia is investing €2.7 million into the campaign, with 80% of that co-funded by the EU. It’s a significant commitment, and it reflects the opportunity we see for Irish organic produce.
What’s been particularly encouraging is how strongly Ireland’s pasture-based system is landing in these markets. It’s a real point of difference for us. You can see it clearly in the reaction from chefs – especially when they hear about Kay’s fully grass-based system and the outwintering of cattle. Several of the Belgian chefs who visited Kay O’Sullivan’s farm have already attended our campaign events in Belgium, where they prepared and cooked Irish organic beef and lamb.
This is the first time we’ve had an EU co-funded campaign specifically for organic beef and lamb. It comes at a pivotal time for the sector. While demand is growing, supply is still relatively limited. The goal is clear: by continuing to build demand both at home and in key export markets, we can support increased organic production over time.
Jane Ryan, EU Programme Executive, Bord Bia
Consumer demand supports organic sector
Strong consumer demand continues to underpin confidence in the Irish organic sector, supported by both targeted marketing activity and clear evidence of market growth. Bord Bia’s More ganic campaign is a national consumer campaign running in the Irish market, with the most recent activity taking place across April and May. The campaign encourages shoppers to choose Irish organic food more often by positioning it as a practical, everyday option, using the message “Make your meals a little More ganic.”
Its aim is to build familiarity, trust and preference for Irish organic food across a range of categories, supporting demand at retail.
Retail data shows that this consumer focused approach is resonating. Numerator figures indicate that the Irish organic market delivered value growth of 12.8% over the course of 2025. Growth was driven mainly by shoppers purchasing larger volumes of organic food per shopping trip, rather than an increase in shopping frequency. Performance varied by category, with organic poultry, fresh meat and fresh fruit among the strongest performers compared with their conventional counterparts.
Taken together, sustained domestic consumer demand, strong retail performance in 2025 and continued movement through conversion point to increasingly solid foundations for the Irish organic sector
This demand led growth is increasingly reflected at farm level. Figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine show that over 260 farms moved to full organic status at the start of 2026, with the largest numbers concentrated in beef and suckler systems and sheep production, alongside strong representation from tillage and horticulture. Smaller numbers of farms also achieved full organic status across dairy, poultry, equine and mixed enterprises.
Taken together, sustained domestic consumer demand, strong retail performance in 2025 and continued movement through conversion point to increasingly solid foundations for the Irish organic sector.
Tara Bane, Bord Bia Organic Sector Manager
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