Irish Country Meats secures deal to send Irish lamb to US
Meat processor Irish Country Meats (ICM), which is a sheepmeat division of ABP Food Group, has become the first Irish lamb processor to launch in the US market.
The company said it has secured an export agreement with US wholesaler Marx Foods, a source and supplier of meat and seafood produce to restaurants across the US.
The supply agreement has seen ICM deliver its first shipment from its facility in Camolin, Co. Wexford.
To officially mark the agreement, a delegation from the family-owned Marx Foods recently visited the ICM facility.
Commenting on the new agreement, Jerome Aherne, managing director with Irish Country Meats, said: "We are delighted to be approved as the first Irish lamb processor to supply the US. This is a significant step forward for ICM, ABP and the Irish meat sector as a whole.
"The US is an extremely important market, and there is a great opportunity for quality Irish lamb in the hospitality space.
"This development is a testament to the dedication, innovation, and hard work of both our teams at ICM Camolin and ICM Navan, Co. Meath, and our farmer suppliers. We look forward to continuing to build upon our customer relationships in the US and to further grow this market," Aherne said.
Justin Marx, executive vice president of Marx Foods, said: "We travel the world to connect with farmers and producers, securing the very best for our customers. With the help of ICM, we have identified quality lamb produce that will be dispersed across our US network.
"It is great to visit the state-of-the-art facility in Camolin and see first-hand the excellent work undertaken by ICM," Marx added.
An agreement was reached between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in April 2022 on a 'veterinary health certificate' for the export of Irish sheepmeat to the US.
That agreement allowed Irish sheepmeat plants to formally apply for approval to export to the US.
It followed a decision by the USDA in December 2021 to remove restrictions on exports of most sheep and goat products from the EU.
Explaining the agreement on the veterinary health certificate, then minister for agriculture Charlie McConalogue said at the time: "This agreement provides full access for Irish sheepmeat to the US market.
"It marks another welcome move in the diversification of overseas markets for Irish sheepmeat in line with the Food Vision 2030 goal of accessing and developing new market opportunities in priority markets," McConalogue had said.
