European veal: Simply the Best in Trust and Tradition

Because of the high saturation level of the European beef and veal market and the increasing import volumes, expanding EU export is very important for balancing the internal market and, as a result, for assuring a viable market price for EU beef and veal farmers. Next to that, promoting EU veal and increasing export to markets outside of the EU will also contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy, as realising optimal revenues for European producer will provide the necessary return for all investments to be made for the transition to sustainable production.

This campaign focuses on promoting the export of European veal to the heavily beef consuming North-American market (U.S. and Canada). Veal is a typical and traditional European product that has high potential on the North-American market as a niche product. North-American veal consumption has strongly declined over the last decades as a result of loss of production because of changing consumer preferences, competition from beef production and consumption, and weak profitability of the domestic veal sector. Here lies potential for the export of European veal by increasing the per capita consumption, also thanks to the advanced position of EU veal in terms of food safety, quality and animal welfare. Moreover, there is opportunity for image creation (of a niche product) in the large North-American meat market.

The objective of the campaign is to create an image for European veal in terms of excellence referring to European tradition, food safety, quality, animal welfare standards and sustainability, and expand the value and volume of EU''s veal exports by targeting trade, food service, retail, consumers and key opinion leaders.

Actions foreseen are tailored communication via digital and social media, trade shows, study trips, restaurant and in-store promotion, cooking schools, and training, with the overall campaign message "Bringing Trust and Tradition to North-America".