A total of 20 senior Chinese agriculture officials have been welcomed to Ireland as part of a Knowledge Transfer (KT) initiative.

The delegation was hosted by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Andrew Doyle.

The KT initiative is co-funded by the EU and Bord Bia under the ‘European Beef and Lamb – Excellence in Food Safety and Sustainability’ programme.

Speaking about the 2-week long visit, Minister Doyle said: “Ireland’s agri-food trade with China continues to grow and in 2016 China was the third largest destination for our agri-food exports, with exports over €780 million.

“Continuing to develop and build relationships between our two countries is crucial and internships and incoming study visits play an important role in this.

The visiting group included delegates from the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), Administration of Quality, Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).

Over the course of two weeks the group will attend the National Ploughing Championships and visit a number of farms, factories and centres of excellence in areas of agri-food research and innovation.

“This morning my officials were able to provide a comprehensive overview of the overall agri-food sector in Ireland and the role played by FoodWise 2025, as well as official controls in the meat and dairy sectors and controls on imported food products.

“The group will have an excellent opportunity to see in practice the production of high quality, safe and sustainably produced Irish beef and sheepmeat,” Minister Doyle concluded.

Beef market access

Recently, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, said that China is a high priority for beef market access.

“The BSE ban in respect of Irish beef was lifted by the Chinese authorities in early 2015. This was a very positive development which paved the way for the start of the process to secure access.

“The Chinese General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) then carried out a systems audit in Ireland in January 2016. In April 2017, together with the AQSIQ Minister Zhi Shuping, I signed a protocol on the requirements for frozen beef to be exported from Ireland to China.

The signing of this protocol was a significant step towards securing beef market access. However, some further steps remain to be taken before exports commence.

“The next step being a plant inspection visit by the Chinese Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA). This visit to a sample of the beef plants that have expressed an interest in exporting beef to China has just concluded.

“Despite this significant progress, the fact is that the pace of market access will be determined by the Chinese authorities, and not by my department,” Minister Creed said in response to a recent parliamentary question.

Department officials continue to liaise closely with their Chinese counterparts to ensure every assurance is provided in relation to the quality and safety of Irish beef, he concluded.