Holland-Northern Irish beef on shelves of supermarkets.

NORTHERN IRELAND-BEEF PUSH INTO NETHERLANDS BEARS FRUIT.

C&J Meats of Kilmore, Co Armagh, and its Dutch partner Shannon Meats aim to launch ’Shannon Matured Beef’ into the Netherlands.

The Kilmore firm has received support from government agency Invest Northern Ireland, which helps local companies compete internationally.

Significant growth in Europe

"The launch of the new brand is an important strategic initiative by C&J Meats, an ambitious and progressive Northern Ireland company, which is committed to significant growth in Europe and further afield," stated Foster.

"The company, which has received a range of financial and other support from Invest NI, is maximising the market potential of its beef in the Netherlands by means of the strategic alliance with an established and successful business there, Shannon Meats, and by applying branding techniques to differentiate its products as being of premium quality," added Foster.

In 2001 C&J Meats was established by John McCann and Colm Pyers. The firm now operates an EU-approved red meat processing facility at Kilmore, which has the capacity to produce 240t of product weekly.

Netherlands – important market

"The Netherlands is now one of our most important markets. It is a very discerning marketplace, where consumers expect quality products and now regard Northern Ireland beef as among the best and most richly flavoured in Europe," said Colm Pyers, joint managing director.

At the moment, the firm sells more than 90% of its turnover to markets including Denmark, Italy, France, Germany and Malta.