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

My Department is always conscious of the need to gain access to new third country markets for the beef sector and improve and widen the existing levels of access that we enjoy. This was a central component of the Food Wise 2025 strategy and has been a key part of recent trade missions.

Ireland gained access to the US market in 2015, making it the first EU member state to gain access and we also enjoy access for beef intended for grinding. Ireland has been granted equivalence by the USDA in terms of its systems, which is a very significant achievement.

The promotion of Irish beef was a focal point for the trade mission to the United States and Mexico in June. While there, I announced the approval by the USDA of the process verified programme for labelling Irish beef as grass fed and reared outdoors. Irish beef is now on sale directly in retail for the first time in the USA. In Mexico I officially announced our intention to seek access for beef and there was significant engagement between experts at a technical level.

China is a very high priority for beef market access and significant progress has been made. In August my Department hosted an audit visit from the Chinese Certification and Accreditation Administration which undertook a series of plant inspection visits in order to assess the applications made by Irish beef processors to gain access to the Chinese market. Feedback form the audit team was broadly positive and we are awaiting the official report on its audit visit.

My Department has also hosted visits from two delegations from South Korea in the past two years in connection with our market access application. The most recent was in June and I intend to raise the issue of our beef market access application during my forthcoming trade mission to the country in November.

The beef sector received a boost at the beginning of 2017 with news of the reopening of the Egyptian market to Irish beef. In Saudi Arabia beef access has been expanded to include minced beef, cooked beef and processed beef as part of the trade mission earlier this year. We have also negotiated positive changes to the veterinary certification for beef to South Africa and Singapore, which has broadened access and opportunities for exports. We are actively pursuing opportunities to gain access in a number of other countries, including Vietnam and Ukraine.

Live exports have also been a significant feature in 2017, providing for a much needed balance in the marketplace, and to date in 2017 amount to some 157,000 head.

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