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

I view live exports as serving a vital purpose as a means of satisfying market demand for live animals and providing alternative market outlets for Irish cattle farmers. I attach major importance to the live cattle export trade, and my Department, along with Bord Bia, has been proactive in encouraging and facilitating such exports.

Last year saw high levels of exports of cattle to both Britain and Northern Ireland, largely driven by favourable currency rates, which made cattle from this country very competitive in those markets. However, as a result of a closer euro versus sterling exchange rate, exports to the UK this year are lower by approximately 50%. Exports to Italy, however, are up by almost 20% and exports to Spain have grown by 11%.

The markets currently open to live cattle from Ireland include Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Serbia and Algeria, in addition to other member states of the European Union. Animal health restrictions and geopolitical instability have impeded previously large-scale exports to Belgium and north Africa respectively.

In this regard my Department has agreed health certificates for the export of live cattle to Egypt, Serbia and Algeria in 2016 and is currently investigating the possibility of bilateral health certificates for the export of cattle to Kazakhstan, Montenegro, and Turkey as well as breeding cattle to Morocco. My Department recently hosted a veterinary inspection by the Turkish authorities and is awaiting a report from that exercise.

The exploitation of market outlets, once opened, is a commercial matter for the live export sector and is affected by the usual variables, including the cost of animals at marts, domestic demand for live cattle, the relative cost of beef on the domestic and international markets, currency exchange rates, transport costs and other factors.

There is a strong demand for meat globally and my role as Minister is to facilitate market access and enable Irish exporters to take advantage of the opportunities that arise. My Department engages on an ongoing basis with many third countries, in collaboration with Bord Bia, the meat industry, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the European Commission on various market access issues.

Last year was a very successful year for meat exports and, according to Bord Bia, overall exports of beef, sheepmeat, pigmeat and poultry increased by €140 million to €3.5 billion. Although exports to the European Union account for the majority of meat exports, increasingly, third country markets are an important alternative outlet for the industry.

I will continue to ensure that Irish meat and livestock producers have the option of exporting to as many global markets as possible.

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