91Èȱ¬

Supermarkets have been responding to a Stormont call to support local beef farmers during the coronavirus crisis.

The appeal was made by MLAs following news that Polish meat had been imported for sale in the UK last month.

The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) and Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots criticised the move at a time of falling prices.

It saw major Irish processor ABP import 400 tonnes of beef for Asda and Sainsbury's to sell in GB outlets.

In its letter, the agriculture committee said it "couldn't fathom" why demand could not have been met by the "local processing sector".

In response, a number of supermarkets have re-affirmed their commitment to Northern Ireland beef.

All the major supermarket groups were sent the letter.

Asda responded that its 200 tonne share of the imported beef had been to meet a huge demand for mince by customers at the start of the crisis.

A senior manager said it had been a "one-off order due to unprecedented circumstances" and that it would promote steak, sales of which have fallen dramatically with the closure of bars and restaurants.

As well as Asda, the Co-op, Iceland, Marks and Spencer and Musgrave NI, which owns Supervalu, Centra and Mace outlets, all responded.

Replies have still to be received from Tesco, Sainsbury's, Dunnes and Spar, while Lidl is preparing a detailed response.

Musgrave said all its beef was sourced on the island of Ireland.

Marks and Spencer said more than 1,000 farms in Northern Ireland supplied it with beef as part of a wider UK network and it was committed to sourcing all its beef from those 5,000 UK farms.

It said that, as a result of promotions, innovation and investment, demand for its beef had increased by 5% since the start of the lockdown and the demand had been met, in part, by its Northern Ireland supply chain.

Iceland said it got all its fresh beef in Northern Ireland from the local Dunbia processing group.

Chair of the agriculture committee, Sinn Féin's Declan McAleer, welcomed the commitment to local purchasing at a time of "low farm gate prices, reduced cash flow and a sudden change in the market brought on by the Covid crisis and the lockdown".