NORTHERN IRELAND MEAT EXPORTERS ASSOCIATION
Budget
€10 — €0
EP Access
0
accredited persons
Staff
1
0.1 FTE
EU Grants
None
Mission & Goals
Northern Ireland (NI) Meat Exporters Association (NIMEA) is the representative trade body for Northern Ireland beef and lamb processors. The red meat industry in NI directly employs approximately 5,000 staff, supporting around 18,000-20,000 farmers in the red meat supply chain. NIMEA members serve retail and food service customers throughout the UK, European Union and the Rest of the World. NI operations include primary processing (abattoirs), deboning / cutting facilities and packing operations which primarily source raw material in Northern Ireland, but also have key sources of supply in Great Britain and Ireland. NIMEA goal is to represent its members, facilitate their needs so that they can meet the needs of their customers and consumers throughout the UK, EU and Rest of the W
EU Legislative Interests
EU-UK relations: As the UK is no longer a member of the EU our sector (red meat) has tried to remain a lined with the EU and have been active trying to avoid any divergence. We have lobbied both at home in NI, UK and at EU level for a UK/EU agreement for a common sanitary and phytosanitary area (SPS). As NI has had the Windsor Framework we have work with the local Government and UK Central Government to address issues and concerns and where applicable have raised these with EU Commission Official via our joint engagement process. Climate / EUDR: the Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 on deforestation-free products Like the EU we would have concerns with regards to deforestation and the environmental impact this has. While this is not a major issue for NI the impact this has for our members exporting is very significant. We welcomed the EU deciding to delay implementation and we look for to the outcome of the simplification review. While there are very active teams in Great Britain looking at developing a system, NI hasn't gone this far yet as its not fully clear yet what the requirements are, therefore we will welcome guidance in the coming weeks. EU Animal Health Law: The roll out of this has a significant impact for NI as we seek to retain alinement and prevent divergence. We would be liaising with out local government in terms of compliance. Therefore this remains a close policy for us to follow. We are keen to follow what the EU does with animal welfare and transport policies as well. EU CAP: https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/common-agricultural-policy/cap-overview/cap-glance_en Again since NI is not part of the EU now, and has the ability to set its own agriculture support our supports must be compliant with WTO and we are keen to follow what the EU does with its future CAP.
Communication Activities
NIMEA is a small Trade Organisation and we usually to not get involved in organising large event or campaigns related to the above policies. We like to take part in stakeholder groups and discuss our views in collaboration.
Interests Represented
Promotes their own interests or the collective interests of their members
Member Of
NIMEA is members of UECBV. (European Livestock & Meat Traders Union) https://uecbv.eu/# This is the only EU association that NIMEA is members of.
Organisation Members
NIMEA is not aware nor holds any list of what its members are affiliated to within the EU. NIMEA is a small Trade Association with only a small number of members.
Additional Information
NIMEA is a small Trade Organisation with only 1 full time person to cover all its activities and only based in Northern Ireland. EU affairs is less than 10% of its work and only travels to Brussels a few times per year at the most to meet with stakeholders or EU Officials.
Commissioner Meetings
No recorded meetings with EU commissioners.