Food safety and use of grassland the keys to future success for food sector

The Irish agriculture and food sector must develop a vision for its future based on food safety, says Dr Liam Downey, director of the farm advisory, research and training body, Teagasc. Farmers must also develop an obsession with grass utilisation, which is not only a safe method of food production but also the means to reducing costs, Dr Downey says. "Although it may be an oversimplification, the future of our agri-food industry is grass and food safety," he writes in a report on the outlook for farming and Teagasc's performance in 1996. By exploiting Ireland's grassland advantage - notably in grazed grass - over its competitors, the State could become one of the lowest-cost producers of milk and meat, Dr Downey says. Competitiveness in the past was judged on cost, he says. But food safety and quality, environmental issues and animal welfare were also important factors. Ireland has a competitive advantage in terms of food safety, with a relatively low use of agrichemicals, while its foods - despite problems in some sectors - have low levels of chemical residues. "However, we cannot go on extolling the virtues of our `green image'; we must substantiate this claim," Dr Downey says.

Teagasc is working towards that objective, he says, by compiling a database on the food purity of listed Irish products and establishing a food safety consultancy service for Irish food companies. It has also developed a tamper-proof device to ensure traceability of cattle using a bolus containing an electronic device which stays in the stomach of an animal during its lifetime. (Tracing cattle by means of electronic ear tags has proved problematic.)

An inadequate understanding of food safety issues could be rectified, he says, by a national scientific research programme. The Irish food processing industry has become one of the most successful in the EU over the past six years. Food and drinks output increased by 37 per cent between 1990 and 1995, compared to an EU average increase of 6.5 per cent.

To combat the threat posed by E coli 0157 bacteria, Teagasc is monitoring levels in beefburgers and in cattle for slaughter. It is also investigating the bacteria's ability to survive processing/ cooking.

In addition to an increased priority for grass and food safety, Dr Downey says, agri-food economics needs to be developed.