Irish farmers are rightly proud of the high standards they work to every day, but as farming practices evolve and international market demands change, our standards need to keep pace.

Because of these factors, Bord Bia is updating the standards for the beef, lamb, dairy, horticulture, egg, poultry, and pigmeat schemes.

The draft new criteria aim to better reflect what is happening on Irish farms today, support access to key export markets, and help ensure Irish produce remains competitive on the world stage.

The proposed updates also aim to make audits more streamlined and practical for farmers.

To reflect current legislation and farming practices;
To meet the needs of trade buyers by verifying the strengths of Irish farming;
To protect Ireland’s positive, hard-earned reputation as a food producer;
To keep up with global competitors.

Draft new criteria have been developed in conjunction with Technical Advisory Committees (TACs) made up of representatives from industry bodies, research and regulatory organisations, and leading farm organisations.

These committees have worked to ensure the draft new criteria reflect real farming practice and help to improve the audit process.

Pilot audits of the draft new criteria for all on-farm schemes (beef, lamb, dairy, horticulture, egg, poultry, and pig) will take place on nominated farms this summer.

These farms were nominated through the TACs and agreed to take part. 

By testing the draft criteria in real farm settings, it allows farmers to provide practical feedback on how the draft criteria work on the ground.

This feedback will be reviewed by the TACs to help refine and finalise the updated standard.

Bord Bia is trialling risk-based auditing as part of these pilot audits.

Not all criteria will be assessed during every audit. Instead, areas that were previously compliant will carry through to the next audit and will only be rescored if there is evidence of non-compliance.

This approach prioritises areas that may need improvement and helps to make audits more efficient.  

Much of the criteria remain the same, with the addition of some new criteria that are required by legislation but were not previously audited.

Other draft criteria reflect best practices in areas like environmental actions and animal health and welfare.

The final version of the criteria will not be confirmed until pilot audits are completed and reviewed.

When the time comes, farmers will get plenty of notice and clear guidance so you can prepare for your next audit.

No immediate changes needed.
Detailed guidance and notice will be provided by Bord Bia so you can be prepared for your next audit.