DNA pigmeat testing ‘unfair’, says craft butchers group

The Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland (ACBI) has accused the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) of unfairly targeting its members with its latest programme of DNA testing of pigmeat to determine if it is Irish or imported.

The survey found that 29 per cent of pig meat samples tested did not have Irish DNA and all but one sample came from independent butchers.

ACBI chief executive John Hickey said it was "unconscionable" and "terribly sad" that independent butcher shops were being targeted by the IFA when they were the last indigenous retailer left in many communities.

He said the programme was clearly about increasing pig prices for Irish farmers and if farmers abroad took the same attitude, Irish farmers would not be able to find a market for their pigmeat abroad.

“I’m not even quite sure whether any of these butchers were our members or not,” he said. Mr Hickey said there was a lack of transparency about the programme.

He said he had asked the IFA to provide retention samples to butchers so they could be validated but the request had not been met. He said the programme depended on every Irish boar being registered on the national database, “but we know that every boar is not registered”.

Fundamentally flawed

Yvonne McConnon of McConnon Meats also criticised the programme, calling it “fundamentally flawed”. She said a supermarket chain had tested product from McConnon Meats against the national boar database last year and no match was found. On investigation, she discovered that the farmer who supplied the product had not registered two boars with the database.

She said she had raised the matter with EU commissioner for agriculture Phil Hogan and was meeting a member of his team in Brussels next week.

The IFA rejected the criticism and said its sampling process was different to the process used in that case.

“The DNA certification programme is robust and the results gathered from samples are published based on agreed protocols,” a spokesman said.

“The agreed interpretation and action to be taken on results is based on finding four to five matches out of five samples.”

Meanwhile, Fine Gael MEP Mairéad McGuinness said it would be a "tragedy" if butchers exploited the loyalty of customers by selling imported meat under the banner of Irish produce.

“Such shops have enjoyed a much greater level of consumer loyalty in recent years with people wanting to buy locally and support their local communities. It would be a tragedy if such loyalty were to be exploited, knowingly or otherwise. Clear and accurate information is all that consumers want.” she said.

Dublin Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan said the survey findings highlighted the need for mandatory country-of-origin labelling for processed meats, as well as prime cuts.

“This issue affects consumers and producers alike and reports and stories that dilute the quality and effectiveness of the valuable Irish brand should concern all the stakeholders involved in the meat industry,” she said.

From April 1st it will be mandatory to label the country of origin on pigmeat, lamb and poultry. Last week the European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the European Commission to make it mandatory to state the country of origin of meat used in processed foods.