The Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney recently gave an outlined the markets that have opened or reopened to Irish agri-food products since he took up his role in 2011.
The Minister said that in response to the increased focus on the export potential of the agri-food sector, a Trade Team was established in February 2011 in the Department of Agriculture.
This inter-disciplinary team brings together the expertise of veterinary, technical and administrative personnel in my Department as well as Bord Bia and the other relevant agencies.
Minister Coveney said the purpose of the Trade Team is to provide a coherent and unified approach to market access, in terms of identifying and resolving technical barriers to trade, prioritising markets and growing Irish exports.
The new Food Wise 2025 strategy includes overall growth projections for the Irish agri-food sector for the next decade, including an increase in exports of 85% to €19 billion by 2025. Exports in this sector in 2014 amounted to €10.45 billion.
The following markets have been opened or reopened for Irish products:
2011
Turkey: Market opened for beef and live cattle
Singapore : Market opened for beef
Tunisia: Market opened for live cattle
Egypt : Veterinary Certificate agreed for beef and market opened for live cattle
Ukraine : Market opened for breeding pigs
China : Market opened for breeding pigs
Serbia : Certificate agreed for meat products
Chile: Certificate agreed for bull semen
Canada : Certificate agreed for fresh pig semen
UAE : Market opened for bovine semen
2012
Singapore: Veterinary Certificates agreed for sheep meat
South Africa: Veterinary Certificates agreed for sheep meat
UAE: Veterinary Certificates agreed for sheep meat
Morocco and UAE: Veterinary Certificates agreed for poultry meat and poultry meat products
China: Agreement secured on exports of boarfish
Iran: Market opened for beef
UAE: Removal of age restriction on beef exports
China: Agreement secured on export of horse feed
China: Agreement secured on export of porcine semen and export certificate agreed
China: Agreement secured on export of horses direct to China
Hong Kong: Health certificate agreed for export of fishery products
Serbia – Veterinary certificate agreed for fresh/frozen pigmeat
2013
US: Initial positive steps taken to reopen the market to beef
Japan: Market opened to beef
UAE: Market opened for sheep-meat
Libya: Market opened for livestock
Australia: Market opened for pig-meat
Iran: Market opened for beef
GCC: Ban lifted for beef and sheep-meat
Canada: Market opened for Sheep-meat.
China: Market opened for Salmon
Russia: Access permitted for meat products previously excluded.
Azerbaijan – Agreement on veterinary health certificate for finished meat products
2014
Lebanon – Agreement on export of meat/meat products of bovine origin
Lebanon – Agreement on export of meat/meat products of ovine origin
Lebanon – Agreement on export of cooked meat/meat products of bovine and ovine origin
Hong Kong – Agreement on veterinary health certificate for the export of sheep-meat
Namibia – Agreement on veterinary health certificate for fresh/frozen meat of bovine, ovine and caprine origin
Philippines – Agreement on veterinary health certificate for the export of beef
Philippines – Agreement on veterinary health certificate for the export of sheepmeat
Philippines – Agreement on veterinary health certificate for the export of pigmeat
Vietnam – Agreement reached on the export of pigmeat
New Caledonia – Adoption of veterinary health certificate for the export of fresh meat and meat products of bovine origin
2015 (to date)
US: Market opened to Irish beef
China: Market opened to Irish beef