Minister McConalogue hosts joint PGI event with Minister Muir in Ballindrait

A beef farm in Ballindrait was the venue for the joint event hosted by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, and the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland, Andrew Muir, to mark the registration of Irish Grass Fed Beef as an All Island Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).

The Ministers were joined on Friday afternoon by Bord Bia and the Livestock and Meat Commission, the applicants for the PGI on behalf of producers and processors, on a farm owned by Johnny Weir.

In his address, Minister McConalogue said: “On this very positive day for Irish farmers and Irish beef, marking the registration of the All Island Protected Geographical Indication for Irish grass-fed beef, we are also marking the first of many positive engagements that I look forward to with my Ministerial colleague, Minister Andrew Muir. I welcome that with the Assembly and Executive back in place, Minister Muir and I are together, here in my home county of Donegal, to mark this substantial achievement for our Island and for our farmers.

“I would like to congratulate the applicants, Bord Bia, and the Livestock and Meat Commission who have achieved this on behalf of producers and processors across the island. The collaboration between my Department, Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Bord Bia and the Livestock and Meat Commission is reflective of the valuable and ongoing north-south co-operation on agricultural matters and our positive engagements in the interests of farmers and processors across the island.

Congratulating Minister Muir on his recent appointment, Minister McConalogue continued: "I know that today is the first of many engagements we will have together as we collaborate in developing the agri-food sector on the island. A sincere thanks to Johnny Weir and his family for allowing us to use his farm to host our event today. I would also like to thank Bord Bia and Michael McGettigan for organising the food, and chef Brian McDermott for sharing his barbecue skills.

"On what was is an extremely positive day, we were also joined by colleagues from my own department, colleagues from Minister Muir’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Bord Bia and the LMC, representatives of the North South Ministerial Council, and members of the media.

“The last few weeks have been very positive for the people of Northern Ireland, with the Assembly and Executive back in place and functioning again. This development represents a huge opportunity, and one that must be grasped across all areas and sectors of our Island. Now that there is an Executive in place to partner with, there is so much potential in what we can do, in the north as well as in the south, to make this a much better place for us all to share.

"Two weeks ago, the Irish government announced almost one billion euro in funding for all-island projects under the Shared Island Initiative - an initiative established by the Tánaiste. These vital projects include the A5 upgrade, the refurbishment of Casement Park, improvements to the Dublin-Belfast rail link, completion of the Newry - Carlingford Greenway, new projects in cross-border educational and enterprise cooperation, and the Narrow Water Bridge.

"But The Shared Island Initiative isn’t just about funding - it’s about a shared approach to partnership, research and dialogue for the benefit of the whole island. This PGI is an example of that shared approach. I am very happy to see it applying on an all-island basis and including farmers both here and in Northern Ireland. It is a great example of the close cooperation on agriculture matters that is ongoing between my department and our Northern Ireland and UK counterparts, many of which are here as we mark this event together.

Echoing the sentiments of Minister McConalogue, Minister Muir commented: “The whole process has been an amazing success, not only by ensuring farmers north and south get the recognition they deserve, but in developing strong working relationships between government bodies North, South, East and West. I hope these relationships are further developed in any future all-island GI applications.

“It’s important that we grasp the opportunities ahead and there are many opportunities ahead as a result of North-South cooperation. I am determined, as minister, to grasp those and drive things forward,” Minister Muir added.