Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 10 April 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Antitrust Guidelines for Sustainability Agreements in Agriculture: Discussion

Photo of Michael FitzmauriceMichael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have a final question and I thank Ms Jany-Roskova for her time. In Ireland at the moment a new sustainable agreement is being done. The European Commission has given the go ahead. It is for grass-fed beef. It is coming in as a new offering. There will be certain restrictions. I cannot think of the name of the group, but it is where farmers have agreements with the co-ops. It would be a better environmental standard overseen by Bord Bia. Grass-fed beef is the name we have on it, and the EU has given the go ahead. A farmer might be doing something special or extra and our local body, Bord Bia, will be over it. The farmer might be doing something to produce an animal under a certain spec. Ireland has a lot of grass-fed beef and not as much meal fed. Would Ms Jany-Roskova expect that those farmers would be better rewarded than someone who is not doing that? The producers group is the name I was trying to think of. Ireland has a grass-fed producers group and a recognition. Would she imagine that beef would be more attractive in Europe if it has more sustainability and more terms and conditions for rearing it?

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