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Elin B

Why your food can include a United Nations of meats and you will probably never know

But do people really care what meat makes its way into their lasagne?

THOUSANDS OF TONNES of meat products from as far afield as Brazil and China are being shipped in to Ireland each year despite the country producing easily enough to feed its own residents’ appetites.

But consumers are given little information about where the meat making it into their pre-processed meals comes from, with only some fresh products carrying mandatory country-of-origin labelling.

Fresh and frozen beef currently carries the requirement in Ireland, a rule which was brought in after the BSE crisis, while similar regulations will be brought in for pig, poultry and sheep meats from April.

The European Parliament recently voted for the European Commission to come up with laws to put in place mandatory country-of-origin labelling on processed meat products – however no timing has been put on the proposal.

Meanwhile, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) this week claimed nearly a third of pork described as domestic produce in butchers came from overseas after it put the meat through DNA testing.

It followed a 2012 Safefood report estimated 90% of chicken meat used in the catering industry came from outside Ireland and a “significant volume” of cooked chicken meat came from outside the EU.

European Union Bans on Hens Mark Stedman / Photocall Ireland Mark Stedman / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

So where does it all come from?

Last year Ireland imported €6.9 billion in food, live animals and beverages, with easily the biggest share coming from Great Britain, compared to nearly €10.5 billion in food and drink exports.

The vast bulk comes from inside the EU, but in 2013 nearly 6% of all the meat and related products by value that were shipped into the country arrived from even further afield – mostly Thailand, Brazil and China.

Here’s the breakdown of where that stock, which includes everything from fresh and frozen meats to offal, cured ham and sausages, came from:

Food origins CSO / TheJournal.ie CSO / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

Ireland imports about 35,000 tonnes of beef each year, while local consumption stands at 87,000 tonnes, according to the latest figures from Bord Bia.

For pig meat about 88,000 tonnes were imported for 142,000 tonnes consumed, while poultry imports were 103,000 tonnes, nearly the same total amount as produced in all Irish export plants.

The country produces roughly three times as much meat as it needs to feed local demand, with even poultry production outstripping requirements:

Meat origins2 Department of Agriculture Department of Agriculture

Peeling back the label

Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan, who was among those pushing the recent motion, told TheJournal.ie surveys had consistently shown people wanted to know where their meat came from – particularly after the 2013 horsemeat scandal.

“Some people will only buy food from Ireland because they want to support the local economy and others might make a choice on environmental or ethical reasons,” she said.

“But what they should be entitled to is having the right information so that they can make an informed decision.”

Greyhound Pickets Strikes Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

How much?

In 2013 a European Commission report found people were strongly in favour of knowing where all their meat came from, but this support dropped off sharply when they were faced with the likely prospect of price rises.

In a scenario where all products containing meat would specify where the meat came from, the added cost to food-business operators would likely be between 15 to 20% – but possibly as high as 50%.

About 90% of that added cost for the meat component was predicted to be passed onto the customer. It said the existing food tracing systems in the EU were not good enough to pass origin “along the food chain” because they were currently set up around ensuring safety only.

But Boylan said big food manufactures had lobbied the commission hard for the report and she believed most small businesses were in favour of making food more traceable.

The IFA also lent its to support to the proposal. Pigmeat chairman, Pat O’Flaherty, said consumers should be able to make informed shopping decisions with clear information that would “promote confidence in the food chain”.

Bord Bia Reports Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney at this year's Bord Bia report Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

However Food and Drink Industry Ireland, which represents food manufacturers and suppliers, backed the commission’s findings. Director Paul Kelly said it would increase the cost for consumers and introduce “another expensive regulatory burden” for businesses.

Food manufacturers are providing origin labelling on a voluntary basis where there is a market demand and where this is feasible from an operational point of view,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine said country-of-origin labelling was a “complex issue” due to the broad range of products involved – from seasoned fresh meats to pizzas – and the fact they could contain meats from several different places.

She said further analysis had to be done on the costs to consumers, industry and the extent to which “potentially detailed and complex origin labels” would help consumers make their decisions.

This month, as part of TheJournal.ie’s ongoing small and medium enterprise (SME) focus, we look at product provenance – how buying local matters and the importance of traceability. 

To view previous articles in our SME series click HERE.

READ: Meet the Carlow farmer making this very French delicacy much more Gaelic >

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52 Comments
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    Mute Dave Barrett
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 2:42 PM

    Just ban celebrities.

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    Mute Martin Galvin
    Favourite Martin Galvin
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 8:02 PM

    @Dave Barrett: If people are calling for a ban on the overpaid court jesters from promoting junk food, they need a good hard look at themselves ….. The fact that they think that their children, or themselves, are influenced by this, says more about their fragile-mindedness than anything else …. By the way, it’s not your ‘glands’, you’re just eating too much crap, and if your kids are constantly asking you for junk food, just say ‘no’ …. They’ll thank you for it in later life…. Own your lack of assertiveness….

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    Mute Anna Carr
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 8:48 PM

    @Dave Barrett: lol

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    Mute Dian
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 2:40 PM

    Majority? No one asked me …

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    Mute HonestGrump
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 2:53 PM

    @Dian: Me neither.

    Did any Journal reader get asked?

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    Mute Nollaig Kelly
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 5:38 PM

    @Dian: not me

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    Mute HonestGrump
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 7:18 PM

    @HonestGrump:

    Four hours have passed and not a single person has said they were asked the question.

    It’s clear this is just another bullish!te article invented by the useless reporters of this rag.

    13
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    Mute Mjhint
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 2:43 PM

    Bán them from expressing their political opinions as well.

    174
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    Mute Edmund Spencer
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 3:58 PM

    @Mjhint: Generally I’m in favour of less regulation on most things but I’d absolutely stand behind this being signed into law.

    34
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    Mute Contrary Mary
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 2:48 PM

    I’m more concerned with celebrity changing impressionable young minds’ attitudes on illegal drug use, sexuality and body image issue, thanks for asking.

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    Mute The Grand Nagus
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 2:56 PM

    That’s a mighty fine burger.

    108
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    Mute Harriet Shields
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 3:20 PM

    I’d prefer to ban them from promoting diets and wellness merchandise that has not scientific backing what so ever.

    104
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    Mute Cynical
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 2:58 PM

    But we still advertise alcohol during sporting events, surely a burger and fries is much healthier than that?

    60
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    Mute Robert O Farrell
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 3:22 PM

    First off the dreadful Snoop Dog Just Eat ads need banning. We’ve all suffered enough this past year or so.

    73
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    Mute Brian Kelly
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 2:39 PM

    Jesus I would love some junk food right now (licking my lips) at that wonderful picture of a double burger & chips! Yummyyyyyyyy!!!!

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    Mute Richard Cronin
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 2:47 PM

    @Brian Kelly: I have a hankering now some spicy chicken wings & chips

    34
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    Mute Charmaine ☘ Irish
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 3:03 PM

    @Richard Cronin: me too.. think Eddie rockets burger, chips and wings with franks hot sauce.. definitely getting it now..

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    Mute Mike
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 3:32 PM

    @Charmaine ☘ Irish: Sold…Takeaway for me tonight

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    Mute Mirabelle Stonegate
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 3:54 PM

    @Brian Kelly: I had a big plate of chicken fried rice for lunch.. it was yummy! and surprisingly, not that unhealthy!

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    Mute Proudly Italian
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 3:06 PM

    How ridiculous… just teach kids to eat well, starting from school. But not just ‘banning’ sweets from their lunch box, I mean real eating lessons. Then, they can enjoy some junk food every now and then…

    59
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    Mute Mirabelle Stonegate
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 3:59 PM

    @Proudly Italian: If people learned to cook properly, some things considered junk can be rather healthy.

    I had chicken fried rice for lunch today. I used a packet of microwave coconut chicken from aldi (no additives, nothing unexpected), and then added some leftover roast chicken, soya sauce, spicebag seasoning and an egg.

    Rice in the pan first. Toss in the seasoning. Then the soya sauce and chicken. Lastly, push everything to one side, scramble the egg, then mix it through for a couple of minutes. I probably used a tablespoon of oil at most. Likely, I used less.

    I regularly eat egg fried rice for lunch. Most of the time, it’s just leftover rice from dinner the night before. Today though, I needed to stay off wheat, and didn’t want wheat free pasta again.. so I grabbed one of those microwave packs of rice in aldi this morning, and threw this together. If I wanted to, I could have thrown in veg of some sort, but I wasn’t in the mood for veg.

    11
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    Mute William Tallon
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 4:07 PM

    @Mirabelle Stonegate: I’d consider changing my diet if I were you as it seems to have given you a bad case of logorrhoea…

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    Mute Eamonn Martin
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 4:14 PM

    @Proudly Italian: Fully agree. Cancel culture has gone mental. Educate people and then let them make their own decisions.
    This goes for way more than just food. Please stop the bad man on tv making me do the bad things and now I’m all sad. Weak people ask for these things.

    21
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    Mute Mirabelle Stonegate
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 5:20 PM

    @William Tallon: why? Because I wasn’t in the mood for veg for one meal? That’s not going to cause significant issues in fairness.

    My favourite thing to make is pizza. I make homemade dough for the base. Then its topped with veg and a little meat. The next day, any leftovers get made into either a fried rice or pasta dish which actually tends to stretch to two meals. I usually put red pepper, spinach, corn and pineapple on my pizzas, as well as plain tomato puree. Yes,I’m a pineapple on pizza person.

    Also, being both wheat and lactose intolerant, its very easy to keep myself.. regular. In fact, I’ve currently having a few days of detoxing from wheat atm, because I’ve somehow had far too much lately.

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    Mute William Tallon
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 6:10 PM

    @Mirabelle Stonegate: Logorrhea on steroids or maybe it’s meant as a parody of pompous food columnists that’s unfortunately fallen flat like a bad soufflé…

    10
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    Mute Seeking Truth
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 5:00 PM

    Are celebrities the real reason we overeat? I do not think so. Loads of other reasons.

    19
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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 4:05 PM

    How many celebrities promote the spraying of toxic chemicals on your self at an overly inflated price to production? 3% of the population are allergic to perfume after all. They also promote environmentally damaging products and fast disposable fashion.

    20
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    Mute Tomo
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 5:02 PM

    Who cares? Educate people on the risks. We don’t learn about much to do with life in school (taxes, cooking, germ theory, personal hygiene, drug use, etc). Educate people seriously about these things and peoples’ behaviours will change. That’s the only way to tackle this. Some people really don’t understand dietary requirements that their body need to prosper.

    Let adults consume whatever they want. Education is the key to most problems.

    17
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    Mute Tarraing Mo Liathróidí
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 4:55 PM

    I’d prefer celebrities and the Z list knock off celebrities RTE usually find for the late late or their radio shows banned before banning them promoting junk food, cos their personalities and talent is as bad for your health to watch as a big Mac

    18
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    Mute JustMeHere
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 3:07 PM

    Riveting stuff….

    11
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    Mute Peter B
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 6:15 PM

    I really feel like eating a burger and chips after reading that……..I’m off Burger King for a Rebel Whopper

    9
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    Mute Nollaig Kelly
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 5:38 PM

    Get kids off their arse and away from video games and off social media and then let them go outside and run around
    I grew up in the 70s and most things we ate would be seen as unhealthy today. Frying in lard everything seemed to have added sugar if it didn’t we added it, but very rarely was there fat kids as I said above we got outside and ran around and so on
    Today people want to blame everthing but the problem

    24
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    Mute Anna Carr
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 8:56 PM

    @Nollaig Kelly: well said. I saw a program of kids playing on the street in the 70s and the boys bomming up and down on their Rally choppers and girls playing skipping with their dad’s tow rope, elastic, and clapping hands against one another’s hands and just wonderful memories. We were so happy

    6
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    Mute Anna Carr
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 8:51 PM

    Ffs what difference will that make. If ppl want to drink they’ll drink. If they want to smoke they’ll smoke. If they want to be grossly unhealthy and feed their kids junk they’ll do that. Banning celebrities isn’t going to change anything. I’m annoyed that I can’t get points on my clubcard anymore from alcohol, that’s how I used to get great vouchers haha.

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    Mute William Tallon
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 2:53 PM
    6
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    Mute Sense of Doubt
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 7:49 PM

    Pity they couldn’t extent it to a ban on them expressing ill understood trendy political views. It would make the world a little bit more bearable.

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    Mute Eoghan Deegan
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 6:27 PM

    Probably more to do with being sick of seeing those people on TV, and less to do with the food!!

    5
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    Mute Brian Flavin
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    Apr 22nd 2021, 6:05 PM

    Who care. Won’t ban

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Apr 23rd 2021, 8:27 AM

    “can’t understand it, ban it”

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