The European Court of Justice has ruled that the European Commission followed due process when Irish Grass Fed Beef was registered for protected name status.
An Bord Bia (the Irish Food Board) proposed Irish Grass Fed Beef for EU Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) back in 2020.
PGI status means only beef from a specific area fed on grass can use the name ‘Irish Grass Fed Beef’ as a brand.
The EU status allows food products to be marketed amongst Europe’s finest including Champagne and Parma ham.
Irish Grass Fed Beef was finally listed in the EU’s register in 2023 after an amendment allowed the brand to apply to cows farmed in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.
But a farming association, the Independent Farmers Of Ireland (IFOI), challenged the amended listing, taking a case to the European Court of Justice.
The European Commission “considered that the extension of the geographical area provided for in the product specification as amended (‘the amended product specification’) was justified, since the quality, reputation and characteristics of grass fed beef in Ireland and in Northern Ireland were similar”, according to court documents.
And judges agreed.
“The General Court rules that the Commission did not breach procedural rights or the principle of good administration when registering the protected geographical indication (PGI) “Irish Grass Fed Beef”. While substantial modifications to a specification require a new national opposition procedure, the Commission is entitled to rely on assurances from the Member State that such a procedure took place”, the court said.
The Independent Farmers Organisation of Ireland has been ordered to pay the European Commission’s legal costs associated with the case.
The IFOI has two months to decide whether to lodge an appeal.