Commodity watch by policy officer Kellie Rouse
The Ulster Farmers’ Union was recently invited by the Livestock Meat Commission (LMC) to Anuga 2025 in Cologne, Germany. Anuga is the world’s largest food trade fair, and we were able to see firsthand what is happening globally in the agri-food industry. With thousands of exhibitors from every corner of the world, Anuga offered an invaluable insight into the trends, innovation and ambition driving the international food market.
Our visit started with an event with LMC, NI meat processors and DAERA representatives. The LMC theme of the visit was to focus on ‘resilience on NI products over reliance on imports.’ At the event, we had the opportunity to engage positively with the meat processors regarding NI’s ability to compete on a global scale. While we might not always share the same perspective as the NI meat processors, we are united in our commitment to sustaining the beef and lamb industry in NI. Ideally, we want to see the sector grow or at the very least, prevent livestock numbers from continuing to decline at the concerning rate we are currently witnessing.
At the Anuga show what was clear throughout is that the global agri-food sector is moving fast and competition is fierce. Unfortunately, NI had no presence at Anuga, however, most NI meat processors have stands or representation at the event. Notably Scotland, England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland had significant presence at the event. Alongside them is countries from South America, equally as eager to gain as many export deals as possible. Some of these countries even had two tier stands to promote their beef and lamb products. Notably, around the beef and lamb hall, prominent words of marketing included “sustainable”, “deforestation-free”, “grass fed”, “ESG data”, “green quality”, “naturally better”, “quality”, “Aberdeen Angus”, “protein” and “neutral CO2 company.” Countries like Argentina used phrases like “cattle kept in open spaces, fed with natural grass and supplementation in the last stage of growth. This makes our beef one of the most natural and healthy sources of protein in the world.”
From sustainability focused supply chains to innovative product development and branding, other countries are investing heavily to strengthen their market share. For NI, this was a timely reminder that while our beef and lamb are as good as anywhere in the world, we cannot afford to stand still. NI’s livestock sector has a strong reputation built on quality, traceability and high animal welfare standards. LMC are responsible for delivering this through the NI Beef and Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (NIBLFQAS) which was established in 1991 and was one the first farm quality assurance schemes of this kind established globally. However, to maintain our current trade within the UK, exports and seize new exports, we must keep pace with change. That means continued focus on productivity, sustainability and market development through a collaborative effort between farmers, processors and government.
The UFU will continue to work closely with LMC, meat processors and government to ensure we can find a way forward that sustains beef and sheep numbers and secures a viable, long-term future for our beef and sheep industry.
