Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My recollection of the figures is that there have been approximately 215,000 live exports to date in 2018. That is up by in the region of 30% on the figure for 2017. Of those, approximately 150,000 were exported calves. That is subject to correction but that is my recall of the detail so we are growing it significantly. Can we keep ahead of the growth in the national herd on the dairy side? That is a challenge but we are looking for as many opportunities as possible. The most significant issue for the export of cattle is compliance with the regulations. Anything less is a disservice to the industry, to say the least. We must be extremely vigilant because it is an area where there is a lot of vigilance around our activities.

In the broader context of live exports, obviously, the Turkish market took a hit. It was one of those issues we could not control. It was the perfect geopolitical issue - a spat between the US and Turkey - and the collapse in the value of the lira made it uneconomical for us. They have begun to source other opportunities. We are extremely active in a host of areas. The market access unit has renegotiated the veterinary certification for the Libyan market. This will give rise to increased numbers heading in the direction of live exports. Spain has become a significant market for live exports. Ultimately, many of those probably migrate to north Africa. We are also looking at other opportunities across north Africa, such as in Morocco, Algeria and, to an extent, Egypt. I am not sure but there may be opportunities in Egypt. I recently met the ambassador of Kazakhstan to explore opportunities there. We are vigilant across a range of market opportunities and obviously keep an eye on Turkey and what might happen there in the future. Live exports are a really important part of the competitive mix, as are new markets for processed meat. In 2018, market access to China opened up. This is a major development and it is hoped that it could give rise to significant trade.