Fine Gael Kildare South TD Martin Heydon has said that the US Government approval of the unique, high quality of Irish Beef is great news for beef farmers here in Co. Kildare.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has given a seal of approval to advertise the unique qualities of Irish beef in the United States. The announcement came following a meeting involving the USDA, Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine Michael Creed and Tara Mc Carthy, CEO, Bord Bia on day one of the trade mission to the United States.

“This decision by the US Government is a real boost to our beef farmers here in Kildare.  The Quality Assurance and animal movement systems we have in Ireland are among the finest in the world, enabling the collection of a vast amount of information in our farm audits. This is key to backing up our claims and demonstrating the quality of our product. This decision will accelerate their activities with beef buyers and retailers and bring this message closer to the US consumer.

“Great credit is due to Agriculture Minister Michael Creed, his staff and Bord Bia for their hard work in making this decision possible.

“We have always known that the quality of Irish beef is world class and this decision backs that up and has the potential to add significant value to our beef offering in the US accessing the Premium US Beef market.