Sheep processors in Ireland are yet to begin the process of seeking access to the US market, despite the market opening for Irish sheepmeat over a year ago.
In April of last year, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue announced that a veterinary health certificate had been agreed with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), paving the way for Irish sheepmeat to be exported to the US.
However, no sheep processor in the country has taken advantage of this as of yet.
Responding to parliamentary questions from Fine Gael Mayo TD Michael Ring, the minster explained that food business operators must submit a site-specific, time-bound work programme to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, demonstrating how they will achieve compliance with US standards.
“Once a sheepmeat plant successfully completes the USDA approval process, my department will notify the Food Safety Inspection Service of the USDA that the plant can be registered to export sheepmeat to the US,” he said.
However, Minister McConalogue confirmed that no sheep processor has started this process.
“At present, no sheepmeat plants have submitted a documented work programme,” he said.
“My department is actively engaging with interested plants in assessing how they can comply with the requirements for this trade.”
Due to the fact that no sheep processor has sought approval to export to the US, Ireland has not exported any sheepmeat to the US since the agreement with the USDA last year, the minister confirmed.
“While the role of my department is to open up international markets in consultation with stakeholders, it is up to industry – with the support of my department and Bord Bia’s marketing expertise – to capitalise on the resulting opportunities for trade,” Minister McConalogue said.
It had been hoped that Irish lamb would hit the US market in the first quarter of this year.
Speaking to Agriland in September, Seamus McMenamin, sheepmeat and livestock sector manager with Bord Bia, had said that, currently, the US sheepmeat market is dominated by produce from Australia and New Zealand.
“It looks like our space is going to be high-end. Not massive volumes but a high price point once we get plant approval and get that product into that market,” McMenamin had said.