You are here

Conway calls for better beef marketing

SDLP junior agriculture spokesperson Cllr Thomas Conway has called for a high-pressure marketing campaign by DARD and the Livestock and Meat Commission to find niche markets for quality beef.

Wed 18th August

He said: “The beef sector is fast becoming the poor relation in agriculture. World grain prices are moving sharply upwards, lamb and sheepmeat are enjoying buoyant prices and our dairy sector is steady. But the beef sector is stagnant or falling back and its backbone, the suckler herds which small farmers in hilly areas specialise in, is particularly hard hit.

 

“Beef is highly dependent on the export market, but we are presenting it as an undifferentiated commodity so a lot of it ends up minced in the English market. This is in fact a betrayal of the high quality of our product, which is produced in some of the best ecological conditions to be found anywhere. Geography and the prevailing winds have given us green, clean grasslands and a beef herd which spends a maximum part of its life outdoors, but we are not selling this positive message.

 

“In international terms the amount of beef we produce is quite small. It should be quite possible to find, target and develop niche markets in Europe where our best beef could be properly branded at premium prices. This would provide incentives to drive quality up throughout the sector.

 

“We don’t have to remain passive victims of negative price trends. DARD and the LMC have the resources and the necessary overview to develop such a marketing strategy for quality beef in partnership with farmers. The aim would be to make it instantly recognisable as a regional food brand, like Parma ham, Danish bacon or Welsh lamb. All that is needed is a bit of vision and imagination and the political will to get it done.”

Thomas Conway

Councillor Thomas Conway Assembly

Email thomas.conway@aol.com
Tel 07860 564 145

Press Office

Tel 028 90 52 1837

Back to Latest News

Filed Under:

You are here