Founded in 1918, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) is the largest democratic voluntary organisation representing farmers and growers in Northern Ireland. Its central objective is to promote their interests both at home and abroad through professional lobbying.

The Dairy Council is responsible for the generic advertising and promotion of milk and dairy products in Northern Ireland. Its primary function is to communicate factual information to allow individuals to make informed choices about which dairy products they consume and to inform them of the benefits of including dairy products in a balanced diet.

Seafish Northern Ireland engages with a range of stakeholders offering advice, assistance and support throughout the supply chain from fishermen to retailers. Seafish NI provides a point of contact with Seafish within the regions and assists industry in accessing technical expertise throughout the whole of Seafish.

SALSA is a food–safety standard written by experienced food safety experts to reflect both the legal requirements of producers and the enhanced expectations of ‘best practice’ of professional food buyers. 

SALSA certification is only granted to suppliers who are able to demonstrate to an auditor that they are able to produce safe and legal food and are committed to continually meeting the requirements of the SALSA standard.

The Institute for Global Food Security is based at Queen’s University Belfast within the School of Biological Sciences. The Institute houses a suite of state–of–the–art laboratories, conducting cutting edge research into various topics ranging from soil & plant health through to food security.

The Pork & Bacon Forum was established to promote the local Pigmeat supply chain in Northern Ireland. The Forum, which is comprised of processors, producers, the grain trade, government and scientists all supporting Northern Ireland interests, actively participates in market research, promotion and technical investment for the industry.

The Northern Ireland Meat Exporters’ Association includes in its membership the major beef and lamb EC approved slaughtering and cutting companies in Northern Ireland. The Association is a single contact point for all member companies and can direct enquirers with specific needs to specific companies.

Human nutrition research at Ulster University is coordinated through the Northern Ireland Centre for Food & Health (NICHE), which was initially set up with EU structural funds in 1996 to provide greater understanding of diet–related health issues. NICHE has 22 academic, 3 technical, and 15 research staff, together with 36 postgraduate research students and 9 internships.

NI Connections is where you come to hear about home. We’re a not for profit organisation here to tell you about all the good stuff connected to Northern Ireland. We’re backed by Invest NI and local business. NI Connections is a place where anyone with an affinity to Northern Ireland can come, be proud and connect with each other.

The Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC) is an Executive Non–Departmental Public Body, which was established by Statute (The Livestock Marketing Commission Act [Northern Ireland] 1967) to assist the development of the livestock and livestock products industries. LMC’s sponsor body is the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD). LMC collects statutory levies from beef and sheep producers and slaughterers in Northern Ireland and in return provides a range of services to the industry. LMC also advises DARD on matters relating to the sector.