Ireland “cannot unilaterally depart” from international rules on trade that allow other countries to sell beef into Ireland, despite concerns from beef farmers.
That’s according to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue, who was responding to parliamentary questions from Fine Gael Mayo TD Alan Dillon.
Dillon had asked the minister for “a detailed explanation regarding the significant quantities of beef imported into Ireland from the UK…[and] the justification for this substantial influx”.
Dillon also asked the minister “how he justifies the importation of large quantities of UK beef” in view of the “challenges faced by Irish beef farmers, including pressure on prices and increased input costs”.
The Mayo TD also raised concerns over whether this imported product from the UK “truly originates” from the UK.
In response, Minister McConalugue said: “Ireland is among the largest exporters of beef in the northern hemisphere. The volume of Irish beef exports in 2022 amounted to 492,000t of beef valued at more than €2.5 billion. This compares to 37,000t of imports to Ireland in that period.”
He added: “The Irish beef sector is therefore critically dependent on international trade, and therefore on the rules based order under WTO [World Trade Organisation] rules, EU single market rules, and the Trade and Co-operation Agreement agreed between the EU and UK post-Brexit, Ireland cannot unilaterally depart from the rules that govern international trade.”
The minister said that if Ireland did depart from those rules, the impact of reciprocal action from trading partners “could be absolutely catastrophic for our export dependent agri-food sector”.
Dillon also queried the minister on whether the importation of beef may “compromise Ireland’s renowned world-class traceability standards”, and if the minister could provide reassurances regarding the transparency and sustainability of Irish beef.
The minister said in response: “Any meat imported from third countries [non-EU members] including Britain is subject to certification requirements and the import control system operated by my department at border control posts.
“The traceability standards of Irish beef are strictly enforced though our regulatory system.”
The minister commented: “Under EU law, there is specific country of origin labelling which forms part of the broader labelling legislation.
“My department is responsible for ensuring that approved meat plants operate in compliance with harmonised EU rules. Approximately 250 veterinary and technical staff are routinely involved in supervising, regulating and controlling these standards,” he added.
“These standards include the correct labelling of products and my officials based in these plants carry out constant monitoring through audit and inspection of labelling and traceability requirements.
“Labelling and traceability non-compliance can be considered fraudulent activities. There is a process in place for reporting any identified non-compliance and a range of sanctions can be applied.”