The large group at the meeting welcomed the state body’s acknowledgment that misleading labelling was affecting the incomes of producers.

IFA have held a number of demonstrations outside retailers of late in order to demonstrate to consumers that purchasing of chicken from outside the state affects jobs and the local economy. As part of this activity, the IFA National Poultry Committee met with Bord Bia to discuss the use of the Quality Assurance Logo by some retailers which had caused some serious concerns among poultry producers over the last year.

Mr Mohan said, “These planned changes will enable customers shopping in retailers that stock chicken from outside the Republic of Ireland, such as Tesco, to see exactly where the product is coming from.”

Irish poultry producers have also agreed to fund a promotional budget for Bord Bia to drive home to consumers the health and value benefits of chicken as well as the high standards of the Quality Assurance Scheme of which most producers are members.

Mr Mohan said, “Poultry meat has the highest consumption rate per capita at almost 30kg/head in Ireland. Irish consumers over the last 12 months have increased the volume of all the chicken cuts that they consume and this is positive for the industry, however some retailers are importing chicken from outside of the Republic and misleading consumers as to its origin.”

Mr Mohan was very vocal in his address to the producers in attendance. He stated categorically “the support of jobs in the poultry sector was a top priority of the committee and that the campaign to see Irish chicken stocked in all retailers would not stop.”