Irish Beef Forum Members Announced
IRELAND - The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mary Coughlan TD, announced today the membership of the Beef Forum. It will include representatives of the IFA, ICMSA, ICSA, Macra, ICOS, ICBF, Teagasc, Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland, Meat Industry Ireland as well as representatives of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and an independent expert.
12 February 2008
2 minute read
Minister Coughlan stated: “The purpose of the Forum is to point the way to the future development of this very important sector. The beef industry is vital to Ireland in a number of respects not least its contribution to our trade balance and its significance for rural areas.
The industry has proven itself resilient in the past and I am confident that it will do so in the future. It will face many opportunities and challenges as the pace of change in the marketplace continues to increase. The industry must gear itself to evolving consumer tastes and be responsive to them. The Forum provides those involved in the industry with the opportunity to track the best way forward.”
The Forum, which will be chaired by Jim Beecher, Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, will have its first meeting later this month. The Minister thanked the representatives who had agreed to participate and wished them every success in their work. The Forum is expected to report by the Summer.
Members of the Beef Forum:
| Jim Beecher | Chairman |
| Kevin Kinsella | IFA |
| Michael Doran | IFA |
| John Enright | ICMSA |
| Martin McMahon | ICMSA |
| Malcolm Thompson | ICSA |
| Sean Scully | ICSA |
| Mark Connors | Macra |
| Ray Doyle | ICOS |
| Brian Wickham | ICBF |
| Edward O'Riordan | Teagasc |
| Gerard Brickley | Bord Bia |
| Derek Breen | Enterprise Ireland |
| Ciaran Fitzgerald | Meat Industry Ireland |
| Niall Browne | Meat Industry Ireland |
| John Horgan | Meat Industry Ireland |
| Finbarr McDonnell | Meat Industry Ireland |
| Paddy Moore | Independent Expert |
| Mick Cronin | Dept. of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |
| Ignatius Byrne | Meat Industry Ireland |
| Séamus O'Flaherty/Brid O'Higgins | Secretariat |
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