The five major retailers operating in Ireland will appear in front of the Beef Market Taskforce in March following the completion of an independent review of market requirements.

Representatives for Dunnes Stores, SuperValu, Tesco, Lidl and Aldi attended the taskforce meeting on 9 January when farm organisations quizzed them on their specifications.

All five stressed that beef must come from Bord Bia Quality Assured (QA) farms. Tesco was the only retailer in Ireland that required beef from animals under 30-months and there were varying requirements in other areas such as farm movements and residency periods. However, retailers were keen to point out that only 6% of Irish beef was sold on the Irish market.

Grant Thornton is carrying out the independent review of market and customer requirements relating to the in-spec bonus criteria. It is expected to be completed before the next meeting of the taskforce.

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