Cross-Border Cattle 'Invasion Alert'

There's a cross-border invasion taking place - and its worrying local beef producers.

The National Beef Association (NBA) has said questions must be asked about the retail destination of beef taken from cattle imported into Northern Ireland, for immediate slaughter, each year from the Republic of Ireland (ROI).

A spokesman said that, in 2009 over 36,000 of these animals were trucked in off ROI feeding farms, and this year even more are expected.

He said this is because the factories are struggling to meet regular retail orders due to a persistent decline in NI's beef herd, and the blocking of a similar volume of 'live' deliveries from Great Britain since 2008 because of the threat of bluetongue.

"NI's processors have built their businesses on the provision of farm assured, UK produced, beef for UK retailers - most of whom sell it under the twin brand of the Red Tractor and Union Jack, or promote it under their own label and back it with promises that it is exclusively British," explained the NBA's Northern Ireland Chairman, Oisin Murnion.

"However the arrival last year of so many ROI cattle, the equivalent of 8% of NI's annual prime cattle kill, raises legitimate questions about the destination, and the branding, of both cuts, and mince, taken from so many cattle that have been finished in the ROI and which have had no chance of meeting the residency terms of NI's farm assurance," he said.

The NBA has noted that the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) has already advised that more finished prime cattle from the ROI are likely to be slaughtered in NI this year too - and could account for 10% of the overall kill by December.

"There is no doubt the appearance of such high numbers of cattle that are discounted against NI prices by 9p-18p a kilo is dragging back the value of cattle produced by NI's farmers," continued Mr Murnion.

"But mystery surrounds the ultimate retail destination of beef taken from these animals, which are assured to different standards than those installed in the UK and which do not qualify for the Red Tractor's Union Jack label.

"Given the price circumstances in which they are operating it is no surprise that NI's feeders wish to know exactly how beef from these cattle is branded and which retailers it is sold to," he said, noting that, in 2008 when around 14,000 head of non-assured ROI cattle were trucked in for immediate slaughter the answer to this question was less urgent.

"Now we are looking at something in excess of 40,000 head in 2010 a proper response is imperative - and it should come from the factories themselves and the Northern Ireland Meat Exporters Association."

(BMcC/GK)