The resilience of the Irish beef sector has been noted in the wake of Brexit at today’s Beef Forum discussion in Dublin.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, chaired the tenth Beef Roundtable discussion; it reportedly focused on the response of the sector to the different issues it has faced since the last meeting.

Minister Creed said: “It is encouraging to see how the sector has responded positively in the first six months of 2017 to the challenges it has faced.

In particular I note the strong performance of live exports which are 43% ahead of last year and the growing third country trade which has seen markets in Asia especially, showing strong increases in the value of exports in the first quarter.

Minister Creed provided updates on the work of the government and the department in response to Brexit to the Beef Forum. In addition, he also provided updates on his most recent trade missions and his continuing work in opening international markets to Irish food and drink.

“I am cognisant of the importance of having as many markets as possible open to Irish food and drink.

“Since I became minister I have been and am continuously working to expand market access for all agri-food exports. We are beginning to see the fruits of this increased focus,” he said.

Trade mission to the US and Mexico

On last month’s trade mission to the US and Mexico, Minister Creed told delegates that he was delighted to see the USDA’s approval of Bord Bia’s Process Verified Programme for labelling Irish beef as grass-fed and reared outdoors.

I believe that this is a major milestone in our attempts to firmly establish Irish beef in the US market and one which will hopefully provide further momentum to the sale of Irish beef in the US.

Trade deals and CAP

An update on the progress in different international trade deals affecting Ireland and Irish beef was also given by Minister Creed at the Beef Forum.

He said: “Whilst Brexit is very much a key priority for my office at the moment, I can assure you that activities in ongoing international trade agreements are being closely monitored.”

Acknowledging the importance of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to the beef sector, Minister Creed also stressed his support for the retention of a well-funded CAP budget; but he also noted the challenge the overall CAP budget is facing in the future.

The Beef Roundtable received a presentation from: Bord Bia’s Mark Zeig on the market outlook for 2017; an update on markets access from Maria Dunne of the Meat and Milk Policy Division of the department; and a presentation on Brexit from John Downey of the Brexit and International Trade Division of the department.

Following on from the last Beef Roundtable meeting, a number of stakeholder presentations were also received from the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) and the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS).

Brexit

The result of the UK Brexit referendum unfolded a little over 12 months ago, creating an enormous level of uncertainty in the process, Minister Creed said.

However the response of the sector since then has been one of adaption and resilience.

“It is this response that the sector has shown to the challenges presented to it that can give us confidence in our ability to continue to respond effectively and further develop the beef sector in the next number of years.

“The Beef Roundtable continues to be a very significant element in the development of our beef sector and allows it to realise the objectives laid down for it in Food Wise 2025,” he concluded.