National Beef Assosociation grown in Northern Ireland

NATIONAL BEEF ASSOCIATION GROWS IN NI
THE decision by the ‘new’ National Beef Association NI council to attend Balmoral Show to publicise the benefits of NBA membership proved an overwhelming success. Visitors to the stand on Wednesday also had the added privilege of discussing the present issues affecting the beef industry with Kim Haywood the NBA Director.
Kim was very impressed with how the NI council had energetically organised the NBA stand and were tackling issues facing local beef producers. She commented that sometimes farmers don’t realise they have ‘a voice’ in the beef industry but she reassured all beef farmers in the province that the NBA is working hard on their behalf on a range of important issues. The NBA had responded to the DARD consultation options arising from the CAP Health Agreement and the review of support arrangements for LFAs in NI.
 Local office holders regularly attend animal health meetings with DARD, where TB and Bluetongue are high on the agenda, as are other animal welfare issues. Food safety, Carbon Foot Print/ Global Warming also receives their attention.
An issue which beef farmers always highlight is the price they receive for their cattle. Kim felt that beef farmers were optimistic in the hope of a rise in the beef prices but highlighted the continuing price differential between here and across the water.  The NBA will continue to pressure the factory management and the supermarkets into paying a higher price needed to reward farmers for producing quality beef.
During the three days of Balmoral Show, new members could join the NBA at a ‘special’ discount rate for the first year and also had the opportunity to enter a draw generously sponsored by Merial.  Draw winners were David Frazer, Co Armagh, Packie Donnelly, Co Antrim and Daniel Gilchrist, Co Down.
Oisin Murnion, NBA, NI Region Chairman, congratulated the winners and thanked Philip Clarke, NI Territory Manager for Merial for their continued support of the NBA including generous prizes for the draw.
Oisin encourages all beef farmers to support the hard work the NI council and the NBA are doing on their behalf and says “NBA membership is always good value with the added advantages of a weekly newsletters as well as the Beef Farmer magazine, which includes many articles from NI, but most the NBA is the organisation speaking solely for beef farmers.”
For further information and membership, Oisin can be contacted on 07739 632048 or NBA headquarters 01434 601005.
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