1. Irish Grassland Association 11th May 2017
Meat Industry Ireland
Irish Grassland Association
11th May 2017

2. Presentation Overview
MII
Food Wise 2025 & MII Sheep Policy Document
Potential Growth
Key issues to realise this growth
Brexit

3. Meat Industry Ireland Beef, Sheepmeat & Pigmeat
Primary Processing Operations
90% of Industry output

4. Food Wise 2025 Background Growth Target
Committee representing all stakeholders
Growth vision for the period
Build on previous strategy: Harvest 2020
Growth Target
Grow export value to €19bn (85% increase on current baseline of )
Key focus on sustainability
Additional 23,000 jobs from primary production to product development

5. MII Sheepmeat Policy Importance of the Sector Growth Potential +40%
Keep sheep sector to forefront in expansion plans
Ensure it is part of the growth agenda
Funding and investment
Competition from other sectoral growth plans – ensure sheep sector not forgotten
Sheep enterprise can make positive contribution on mixed grazing enterprises
Most environmentally friendly meat production system
Growth Potential
+40%
+€150m
+1m lambs
+500 jobs

6. Potential Growth Ambitious targets
Won’t happen overnight – lead in time
Needs buy-in from all stakeholders
Significant potential to increase national output with productivity improvements, on a national basis
Restore national breeding flock
Expand existing markets and develop new international markets

7. Key Issues Market Access Promotion in the EU
Crucial to realising growth potential
Expansion in European markets – EU lamb for EU consumers
New international markets – e.g. US, China
Address technical restrictions on existing certificates – maximise opportunity
Recent DAFM announcement very welcome
Promotion in the EU
Promote EU lamb to EU consumers
Strengthen preference for domestic EU lamb over imported
EU Sheepmeat Forum - established Autumn 2015 / final report Oct 2016
2 priority recommendations:
Strong CAP support for sheep sector
New promotion programme on internal market (not self-sufficient) – Ring-fence for sheep

8. Key Issues (cntd.) Sustainability Market Requirements
Consumers becoming more conscious re: sustainability of the meat they buy
Sheepmeat – strong sustainability credentials
Importance of QA scheme
Strong linkage – environmental and economic sustainability
Market Requirements
Need to improve / re-focus on consistency of product
Huge variance does create issues to market such product
Product innovation / value-add – need a consistent carcase

9. Key Issues (cntd.) Electronic tagging Clean Livestock Policy
Critical to the entire sheepmeat sector
We should upgrade our system to best in class
Market Access – both new and existing markets
Clean Livestock Policy
Critically important – everyone has a role to play
Implications for food safety, trade, shelf-life
Other important issues
Seasonality
Breeding
Competitiveness – both processor and producer level

10. Brexit No upside UK a large player in EU market
297,000 tonne market. EU total = 943,000 tonne (31%)
Trade with UK is crucial to overall market balance
Sterling impact – Irish exports to UK / UK lamb in France
Uncertainty reigns
Future trade
Transition
Customs/tariffs
Goods transiting UK
New Zealand quota
Reciprocal trade flows / deeply entwined business relationships
Maintaining unfettered access is our priority

11. Thank You!