Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has said he is not worried that the recent Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) case will impact beef prices.
There is “very good” demand at the moment from many other export markets for Irish beef, Minister McConalogue told the Dáil this morning (Thursday, November 9).
With €16 million worth of beef exports to China so far this year, the country only accounts for just under 0.5% of overall beef exports worth €2.5 billion in total this year, he said.
The minister’s comments come after Irish beef exports to China have been suspended earlier this week after tests confirmed a case of atypical BSE in a 10-and-a-half-year-old cow.
In response to independent TD Cathal Berry, Minister McConalogue said: “There is very good demand at the moment from many other markets we have for our beef.
“So, I don’t have any worries in relation to it impacting on our current beef price because there is good demand and 69 other markets which make up 99.5% of our total volume.”
China, which is one of 70 export markets for Irish beef, has a specific clause in the export protocol that requires the suspension of exports if there is an atypical BSE case, he said.
China
Reiterating his disappointment, the minister said he is hopeful that market access can be gained more promptly, having gone through the process with the Chinese authorities recently.
Exports of Irish beef to China only resumed in January this year after a three-year suspension due to a prior BSE case in 2020.
He added that the country verified and signed off on the “strong controls” that Ireland has in place, however, reopening the market is a matter of the Chinese authorities to decide upon.
The issue of reopening the Chinese market for Irish beef will be raised by Tánaiste Micheál Martin who is currently on a four-day visit to China, the minister said.
International markets are “massively important” to family farm income in Ireland, he said while highlighting the role of the Food Regulator to ensure farmers are getting a “fair pay”.
Minister McConalogue said the office was established earlier this year to shed light on the relationship between farmers, primary producers, processors, and retailers.
“We all have to work together to maximise the value of our beef, and to get entry again and rebuild that market so it can deliver for family farms in the future,” he added.