Shipments of beef products to China and South Korea from Ireland have been temporarily stopped after an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was discovered in a cow here, Agriland understands.

According to sources, a fallen animal was tested in mid-September, and on foot of those results authorities in China and South Korea were informed and exports of beef halted, in line with the agreements in place with both countries.

Coincidentally at the time, a delegation of veterinary officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine were travelling to China at the time, and used that opportunity to reassure authorities there of Ireland’s control measures for BSE.

The original purpose of that visit was to progress the opening of the Chinese market to other beef product types. Ireland secured access for the export of frozen boneless beef to China in April 2018.

Atypical BSE occurs sporadically in all cattle populations at a very low rate and is not considered a public health risk, unlike classical BSE, or mad-cow disease, which arises from contaminated animal feed.

This is the third time that Irish beef exports to China have been stopped due to a case of atypical BSE.

Most recently, exports of beef products to China were halted between November 2023 and January 2024 for this reason.

Prior to that, exports to China were also halted for a particularly extended period of time, from May 2020 to January 2023, almost three years.

In 2019 – the only full year in which Ireland had uninterrupted access to the Chines market for frozen boneless beef – Irish processors sent around €40 million worth of exports to the Asian country.

Market access for Irish beef to South Korea, meanwhile, was only secured in May this year, and only one month ago Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue, and Bord Bia, took part in a series of events during a trade mission there to launch Irish beef in that market.

Stay tuned to Agriland for more on this developing story…