Bord Bia today provided the Irish meat sector with an overview of global market performance in 2016 and signalled the opportunities and challenges for the year ahead at its annual Meat Marketing Seminar.
Bord Bia's Beef, Lamb, Pork and Poultry managers detailed the sector landscape on their respective areas while Assistant Secretary at the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine Brendan Gleeson outlined policy developments at national, EU and international level which will impact on production and exports.
Bord Bia invited expert guest speakers to give additional insight into the issues and trends likely to drive buyer and consumer sentiment in the coming year.
Bord Bia's Quality Assurance Scheme
The challenges facing the pigmeat sector from a UK perspective were addressed by Mr. Mick Sloyan from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). Mr. Adrian Gahan from Sancroft International, a UK based corporate strategy consultancy, examined the impact on the Irish meat industry of Brexit and suggestions for managing the changed environment.
The importance of Asia as a destination for Irish meat was highlighted by Rupert Claxton from GIRA, the international research consultancy specialising in the meat and dairy sectors during his presentation on developments in the global meat market.
Neil Doherty, Senior Director, Culinary Development with the Sysco Corporation examined 'American Perceptions of lamb' and explained how lamb is outpacing other red meats in fine dining restaurants.
Dr Carrie Ruxton, a specialist in nutrition and an advisor with the Meat Advisory panel, gave an objective analysis of meat in a healthy diet, focussing on recent media coverage of scientific studies.