The SIAL exhibition, held in Paris, alternates with Cologne’s Anuga event on a biennial basis, attracting crowds from around the world.
Together, they constitute the most important shop windows that are available for the international food sectors.
Both events also provide unique insights into what is coming down the track where innovation, changing standards and amended food trading policies are concerned.
SIAL and Anuga deliver a global outreach for those businesses and organisations taking part. Moreover, at a very practical level, they also serve to confirm the scope and influence of the world’s leading food processing businesses.
Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC) chair, Joe Stewart and the organisation’s chief executive, Colin Smith, have recently returned from SIAL 2024.
“The GB market currently accounts for 80% of Northern Ireland’s beef and lamb sales outside of Northern Ireland. This adds up to annual sales, with an overall value of over £1 billion per annum.
“Obviously, this business must be protected and added to into the future. However, our beef and lamb processers also have Export Health Certificates that give an opportunity to trade with up to 96 destinations outside the UK and Europe.
“This business is vitally important, as it helps to add value across every beef and lamb carcass that we process.”
SIAL
According to Stewart, the end result “is a better price that can be paid to livestock farmers in Northern Ireland”.
He outlined: “I found the visit to SIAL an eye opening experience. First off, it immediately brought home the fact that Northern Ireland’s beef and lamb sector cannot compete on international markets at a commodity level.
“The likes of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina can consistently meet this requirement given the large numbers of finished animals they produce on a continuous basis.
“However, Northern Ireland does offer a number of unique selling points. These include our robust farm to fork traceability system, the proven track record of our Farm Quality Assurance Scheme and the fact that we can produce beef and lamb in the most natural way possible, courtesy of our grass based production systems.”
Adding to this, “is the fact that the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs can fully verify the efficacy of all these systems”, Stewart continued.
According to the LMC chair, having “full government endorsement of specific food production and traceability systems is a vitally important element within the tool box of measures required to do business within the international food supply sector”.
“Delivering on the challenge of sustainability was one of the key themes agreed for SIAL 2024.
“All the world’s top food-producing nations were in Paris, claiming they can and will meet the future sustainability criteria that have been identified for both production agriculture and food processing.
“Two issues arise from this. One relates to the absolute importance of being able to confirm the claims specific countries make with regard to the sustainability of their farming and food practices.
“The other relates to the fact that Northern Ireland’s beef and lamb sectors must never be complacent with regard to our own sustainability standards and how they are perceived in other countries around the world,” Stewart explained.
