Irish grass fed beef close to PGI protected status in EU

Irish farming bodies have welcomed progress in an application to gain Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for Irish grass-fed beef.

The EU commission has been looking into the proposal and has moved the PGI application to the next stage.

A three-month opposition period is now under way and if no responses are received, Irish grass-fed beef is expected to be officially registered as a PGI, which could help Irish beef products receive a premium.

See also: Welsh whisky gains protected status under UKGI scheme

An initial application was made by Bord Bia in 2020 for beef from the Republic of Ireland, and extended in 2022 to include Northern Ireland.

Specific rules will apply to beef labelled with the PGI, with cattle needing to have at least 90% of their feed intake from grass and spend a minimum of 220 days grazing each year.

Livestock and Meat Commission chief executive Ian Stevenson said: “We are pleased with the update coming from Brussels that the application for registration of Irish grass fed-beef as a protected geographical indication fulfils the regulatory conditions.”