Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 12 July 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Development of the Sheep Sector: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Jim O'Toole:

St. Patrick's Day is very important because, in our world, St. Patrick's Day is a month. It is a key time for activation because it is coming ahead of peak supply. It is a great time to engage in continental Europe with buyers and given the coincidence with the time of the year and the sporting events around rugby in France, the industry often works with the retail suppliers and it is a way of engaging in-store butchers with retail chains. There is a whole suite of activities that we use where we can in order to leverage that.