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

I am keenly aware of the vital role that live exports play in stimulating price competition and providing an alternative market outlet for farmers. The ongoing search for new third country markets is a priority for my Department, particularly in the context of Brexit.

The outlook for live cattle exports in 2018 is very positive. Already in the three months of this year, a total of 79,226 head of cattle were exported, including 66,807 calves. The largest export market during this period was the Netherlands with 4,585 head of cattle, followed by Spain with 4,135 and France with 1,069. The UK live export market was a relatively modest sector during the first quarter of 2018 with 151 head of cattle exported and a similarly small amount of 247 exported to Northern Ireland. There were no live exports to third country markets during this period, however, I am pleased to state that in the second quarter, we have already exported 770 head of cattle to Libya, 62 to Russia and 22 head of cattle to Rwanda.

Live exports will continue to inform the destinations selected for trade missions in 2018 as they did in 2017. Animal welfare is obviously a key concern in any live export trade, and inspections by my Department will continue to ensure that rigorous and robust animal welfare standards are strictly complied with during the transport of live cattle.

Earlier this year, I led a trade mission to Turkey focusing on live exports. Ireland exported 30,000 cattle to Turkey last year, which represented approximately 6% of that country's total import requirement. The trade delegation included officials from my Department and Bord Bia as well as representatives from the Irish live cattle export companies, and I met key stakeholders involved in the Turkish livestock sector, including Minister Fakıbaba. We had a broad ranging discussion, but live cattle exports were a central focus of our meeting. Exports of cattle to Turkey from January to April this year came to nearly 6,000 head, which represents a 27% increase over the same period last year.

See this speech in context