Relevant Matter
Legislation
Public Policy Area
EU Affairs
Period
1 Jan, 2024 to 30 Apr, 2024
Specific Details
Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for Certified Irish Angus Beef
Intended results
To support applying for PGI recognition for Irish Angus Beef. IFA recognises the potential for added value of product that is marketed under the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) label.
To commend the work and investment of the Irish Angus Producer Group in promoting Angus beef and recently advancing the application for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) recognition for the unique attributes of Irish Angus cattle.
To highlight concerns that have been raised with IFA by farmers, processors, retailers and certifying bodies that the current application is narrow and potentially puts the control of this key marketing tool for Irish Angus Beef in the hands of a limited number of stakeholders.
- In 2022 415,438 calves were born to an angus sire representing 17% of all calf registrations. 321,521 of these were born to dairy dams, a figure that is likely to increase as adoption of sexed semen usage on dairy farms increases.
- The angus breed represents a significant cohort of the Irish cattle herd currently and all projections are for this to increase.
To highlight that, in this context there must be consideration in the application, given the numbers of animals that have the potential to meet the key angus attributes, to provide maximum competition for farmers when selling these animals.
To stress the importance of all of these animals being marketed in an inclusive fashion with the maximum number of processors involved to maintain competition with the outlets available to farmers.
To show concern that control for the marketing of these numbers of animals would be provided to a single entity or to a limited number of individuals which would impact on competition for farmers.
To highlight that dairy calf to beef is a challenge Government and Industry are seeking to resolve. The angus breed will play a critical role in addressing this challenge and in this regard, it is vital the marketing opportunities for all angus bred cattle are maximised.
To highlight that in order to be successful, the application must have broad support, which the current application does not appear to have.
To seek a meeting with the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine before any application is made to the EU.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Francie Gorman IFA President, Declan Heffernan IFA Livestock Chair, Tomas Bourke IFA Senior Policy Executive, Mark Kearney IFA Policy Executive
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
No
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Informal communication (2-5)
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Amii McKeever
Adviser to Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Brendan Gleeson
Secretary General (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Charlie McConalogue
Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Barry Cassidy
Special Adviser (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Bill Callanan
Chief Inspector (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)