The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has criticised the founder and current chair of Finnebrogue Denis Lynn for comments he reportedly made urging UK international trade secretary Liz Truss to strike a tariff-free trade deal with New Zealand.

Downpatrick-based Finnebrogue originally made its name selling venison from Lynn’s Estate, but has since broadened out into gourmet sausages, wagyu burgers and in 2019 opened a new £3m facility to supply vegetarian and vegan products.

It now employs around 700 people, with future growth plans to take this figure to over 1,000.

Demand

In an article published by The Sun newspaper, Lynn said that he had written to Ms Truss telling her that he was unable to keep up with demand for wagyu beef, so was importing this product from New Zealand.

“As an importer of wagyu, I commit to passing on every penny saved from tariff-free trade to the consumer,” quotes the article from The Sun.

That comment has provoked outrage among UFU members and the organisation has also raised the issue with Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA).

“It is a real kick in the teeth for our members to discover that the founder of one of the main NI meat companies is pushing for a trade deal with New Zealand that will completely undercut our own beef producers,” said UFU beef and sheep committee chair Sam Chesney.

At present, NZ importers must pay EU tariffs on beef. If these tariffs are removed as part of a deal with the UK, it would be “dire” for the home market, warned Chesney.

He maintained that the UK farming unions are continuing to lobby to ensure tariffs remain high to protect the local market.

“We are all working towards a greener world, our farmers included, and yet we have government considering agreeing to a trade deal that would see us importing product from as far away as we could possibly go,” he added.

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