Published on
Minister Hackett welcomes first ever organic promotion campaign to be co funded by EU and Bord Bia
Minister Hackett welcomes first ever organic promotion campaign to be co funded by EU and Bord Bia
Minister of State for Land use and Biodiversity Senator Pippa Hackett, today welcomed the award by the EU Commission of €2.2m towards a Bord Bia led organic promotion campaign. The campaign will begin in Spring 2024 and will see funding of €2.2m from the EU and €0.5m from Bord Bia to give a record spend of €2.7m on marketing organic product in the next three years. Minister Hackett congratulated Bord Bia on their successful application and the significant increase in focus on the organic sector.
The objectives of the programme are to increase awareness of the positive environmental, sustainability and animal welfare attributes of pasture fed organic beef and sheep meat. Campaign activities will include PR, website, advertising and trade fairs, meat academy events and study trips.
Welcoming the Commission decision, Minister McConalogue said :
“This funding for promotion will raise understanding of pasture fed organic beef and lamb through a targeted Bord Bia campaign. Such promotion is important to ensure that organic farming returns an income from the market, thereby safeguarding organics as a viable option for the Irish farmers that choose to pursue it. The campaign worth €2.7m over three years will promote organic beef and lamb in Austria, Belgium, Germany and Sweden, countries that have been identified as key export markets for Irish organic products. This Government is investing heavily in organics and that investment has been met with huge interest by farmers. It is an imperative for success that the ambition of both our new and existing organic farmers merits a return for their transition.”
Minister Pippa Hackett commented;
“The funding for these programmes recognises the growing opportunity that the organic sector offers for Irish farmers. This support will complement the €1.5m in BAR money allocated to Bord Bia this year for market research and the largest ever Irish organic promotion campaign. We have undertaken a number of trade missions to organic trade fairs in Europe and the feedback about the opportunities for Irish organic beef and lamb in the EU market are positive. The supports will help to drive the growth in the sector and benefit Irish organic farmers, our soil, our environment and the growing numbers of organic consumers. It is further evidence of this governments commitment to the organic sector and to achieving our Climate Action Plan target of 10% of land area farmed organically by 2030.”
Jim O’Toole, Bord Bia Chief Executive said:
“EU co-funded campaigns have become an integral component of Bord Bia’s market development work for Irish meat, dairy and horticulture. Through this co-investment, Bord Bia will intensify our support for the organic sector by focusing on four European markets, which we identified as having the highest growth potential for organic beef and lamb exports. Next year, we look forward to a busy schedule of Bord Bia run EU campaign activity with the commencement of this campaign and the continuation of five current EU campaigns promoting beef, lamb, dairy, potatoes, fruit and vegetables.”