DAERA investment in red meat sector required - UFU

UFU beef and lamb chairman, Crosby Cleland, says DAERA must invest in the AFBI and CAFRE beef facilities to help drive the sector forward. The comments were made in the wake of the successful '˜Progressive Beef Production' conference at Greenmount.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Nov 2016, 09:27 BST
Updated 6th Dec 2016, 16:23 BST

“Red meat makes a big contribution to our agri-food industry and the local economy. To maintain this, we need investment in research facilities and projects, linked to effective mechanisms to distribute this knowledge to farmers. AFBI and CAFRE have played a crucial role over the years, and we want to see this continue and improve,” said Mr Cleland.

CAFRE’s sheep facilities recently received significant investment. This will bring immediate benefits for students, but in the longer term it will also help farmers keen to adopt new ideas and technology to drive their businesses forward. Mr Cleland said the UFU now wanted to see a similar commitment to investing in the future of the beef industry.

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“The beef facilities at both AFBI and CAFRE urgently require investment. Some being used have been in place for decades and are no longer fit for purpose. If we are serious about improving this industry we need more investment in research facilities. We also need more advisers on the ground who can work with farmers to boost the profitability of their businesses. This will ensure the sector keeps delivering for the local economy – and it has to be remembered that the industry here competes with others making this type of investment in their future,” he said.

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