The announcement that authorities in Algeria have signed a certificate to permit the importation of finished cattle from Ireland has been welcomed by the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA).

Des Morrison, the association’s livestock chairperson, said that the members of his livestock committee “reacted positively” to the news.

Morrison said that the importance of live exports to the livestock sector was “an immovable principle”.

He argued that the “first and foremost” of these principles was “the reality that there had to be an outlet for cattle other than our domestic beef factories and processors”.

“A vibrant live export sector with the agents at the marts and advertising has an immediate effect on prices – that’s an immovable principle of the Irish livestock sector,” the ICMSA livestock committee chairperson said.

“We have to build on this and keep giving farmers options that put pressure on the processors and factories to pay the kinds of prices we need to see, and have to get, for our cattle,” Morrison concluded.

It was announced yesterday, Sunday, February 2, that increased market access for live exports of Irish cattle had been agreed by the Algerian authorities on day one of a Government-led trade mission to the north African country.

Following meetings between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and its Algerian counterpart, a health certificate for the export of cattle for slaughter from Ireland to Algeria was agreed.

Back in November, two health certificates for the export of cattle for breeding purposes and male cattle for further finishing were signed by the Algerian authorities; this new, third agreement opens the Algerian market for finished Irish cattle.