Ausländer Saus

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90128913

A survey has found that half the bacon and pork tested in butchers’ shops was imported. That is despite the fact most of the shops surveyed were signed up to a voluntary code committing them to sourcing their products locally. The Irish Farmers Association put 120 samples of back rashers, bacon joints, and pork chops from 11 butchers around the country through DNA testing to check origin.

Pat O’Flaherty, chairman of the IFA’s national pigs and pigmeat committee, said he was disappointed with the finding that 51% of the products were from abroad. “The level of imported product identified by the DNA testing is compounded by the fact that the country of origin was not displayed in any of the butchers’ stores audited,” said Mr O’Flaherty.

Meanwhile, to meet like-minded individuals for a rasher sanger day or night, there’s always Rindr..

Half of butchers’ pork and bacon was imported (Caroline O’Doherty, Irish Examiner)


File Pic: James Horan/Photocall Ireland

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20 thoughts on “Ausländer Saus

  1. MintyFresh

    120 samples across different pork products from 11 butcher’s shops? Yeah, that’s a fairly wide-sweeping and all-encompassing sample alright. A true data scientist behind the wheel there.

    1. Mr. P

      Also,
      Why sneak around testing samples from butchers (BTW, average of 11 products from each shop??), how about actually talking to the butchers, asking their views on the Irish product and why they buy abroad, then maybe, y’know you might find out stuff…

      1. Lan

        Oh come on, you already know the answer you’ll get

        “Of course we only buy Irish…”
        No ones going to admit they buy Danish pork incase it got out. But I bet all those who were found to have it probably had some nice Irish bunting hanging in the windows or something about local…

        1. Mr. P

          Nonsense, An approachable IFA representative with an understanding of the retail business and a willingness to listen would have no problem having an open and honest conversation with a butcher.
          I am reading the comments here that Irish is best etc, fine, but there is a reason that 50% of products on sale are sourced elsewhere.

          1. Lan

            You can have an understanding of the retail business no problem, that doesnt mean you will get an honest answer.

            Given the number of butchers who trade on the local/Irish thing, how many do you think will be open to telling you that they’d rather buy a slightly cheaper box of Danish pork chops?

            And that is realistically the only reason for it, it’s not hard to figure out, the pork is probably a few cent cheaper per kg and that makes a difference to margin. You really dont need to go asking every butcher to get that

  2. fosull

    Hey IFA, here’s a novel idea…

    Why not make YOUR bacon more attractive to the retailers in question (in terms of price and/or quality).

    Maybe then they will choose your products.

    Otherwise, this is just moaning that you can’t have things your own way.

    1. Lan

      TBH I dont think its physically possible for pig farmers to drop their prices much more than they already have without sacrificing standards of production (enviro, welfare etc)

      As for improving quality, that’d probably make it more likely for more butchers to switch to cheaper imports because of how people view pork, quality isnt as a big an issue

      That said the like of Truely Irish has been a pretty good success, but thats only when you brand it seperately to the butchers counter.

      Also I dont think its moaning as we are constantly being told by butchers that we should support the small local guy and that they’re vital to the domestic economy, well this proves it certainly isnt true for some (not all though!)

  3. Odis

    I wonder how they tell if a slice of bacon has Irish DNA or say British or French DNA. Perhaps the IFA is hiring CSIs to do their informative surveys nowadays.

    1. Lan

      It’s not very difficult. All Irish pigs are sired by boars of the one company. So if a pig has DNA from a boar outside of that group it was produced outside Ireland

      Simples

  4. Mr. P

    I opened a shop with lower quality and higher prices than the other shops on the street, people wouldn’t buy stuff from me…no fair.

    Waaaaaaa….Waaaaaaaaa……Waaaaaaa

    Arseholes.

    1. Lan

      Why would you assume Danish bacon be higher quality? It might be marginally cheaper (which tbh I’m skeptical of) but higher quality? Nope

    2. Spartacus

      Irish bacon products are *at least* as good as Danish. I won’t buy Danish because of concerns over animal welfare standards, but wouldn’t hesitate to buy Irish (or British) bacon. It rankles that one of the best known “Irish” brands is actually 100% Danish.

      1. Jay

        Do the Danes ship their regular bacon here as opposed to their “British Pig” bacon?

        Also, if it meets whatever Euro standard is required why would many people care? It’s pork. If it’s to the standards required and it tastes good I don’t really care where it came from.

        1. Spartacus

          I’m delighted for you. I have somewhat higher standards, and prefer my slices of dead animal to have come from a beast that had a decent life before it was slaughtered.

  5. Glen Hyland

    I don’t trust butchers like I don’t trust chippers. You’re better off buying steak from Lidl these days. The ones in butchers are cut too thin.

  6. Violet

    Irish bacon is disgusting. Scrape off the white foam, empty the water out of the pan – these should not be part of the cooking process for a rasher.

  7. Antoin O O Lachtnain

    I think the industry is a little more sophisticated than this article makes out. There is both import and export of pork. Why ship in and ship out at the same time? Particular cuts, I believe, are in greater demand in particular countries.

Comments are closed.

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