Ms Maria Dunne:

Members will be aware that market access for Irish beef exports to China has been suspended since May last year. Department officials, through the Irish Embassy in Beijing, continue to engage positively with their Chinese counterparts with a view to regaining market access for Irish beef. There has also been engagement at political and diplomatic levels. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, and the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, had a virtual meeting with the Chinese ambassador to Ireland, H.E. He Xiangdong, in March 2021 at which a number of market access and trade issues were raised. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, raised the issue with his counterpart in the Chinese foreign Ministry in May of this year. Most recently, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, has written to the relevant Minister in China, informing him of the revised BSE status awarded to Ireland. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, noted the strong trade links with China that have emerged in several areas. He also stressed his desire to see beef exports resume and offered the engagement of his officials, as relevant, to try to resolve this issue. We very much hope for and continue to work towards the imminent resumption of trade but we must recognise that the timing of this decision lies with the Chinese authorities.

In the meantime, the Department continues to work to try to gain access to as many new markets as possible. It is also carrying out equally challenging work to enhance and retain access to existing international markets. Each part is crucial to our mission to expand our global footprint while maintaining our position as a quality food producer and supplier.

Another of our priority markets for beef is Korea. A public consultation on our beef access recently concluded in Korea, following which Ireland's beef market access is now with the National Assembly for deliberation. It passed to the National Assembly in May. That is a step further down the road because the process has not concluded but it is a positive step towards getting access to another market that the industry has prioritised.