A delegation from the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) met with the DARD Minister Michelle O’Neill MLA today (Wednesday 13 February) to discuss on the on-going horsemeat problem. The NIRC and Lidl were also present at the meeting.
NIIRTA Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said:xa0“This was a useful meeting with Minister O’Neill discussing the need for rigorous testing, traceability and Quality Assurance to move the ‘horsemeat’ problem forward and to learn lessons for the future”
“At the meeting we pressed the need to restore consumer confidence in the Food and Supply Chains and to ensure that the concise information is given to retailers and processors in relation to testing.”
‘NIIRTA Food Retailers pride themselves in sourcing nearly all of their meat and poultry locally and will continue to support our Agri-Food sector in these challenging times”
“We also urged the Minister to host a round table of retailers, processors, suppliers and farmers to address not just the horsemeat issue but also other key issues such as Farmgate prices and other problems in the local supply chain”.
