John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her views on prospects for Irish beef exports to continental Europe in 2006. [12203/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Irish beef industry is worth €1.3 billion in foreign earnings to the national economy annually. Ireland produced 524,000 tonnes of beef in 2005, exporting 487,000 tonnes, which represents 93% of our production. Ireland is the number one exporter of beef into Europe where there is a widening gap between consumption and production resulting in an EU import requirement of an estimated 350,000 tonnes this year. Irish companies are major suppliers across Europe and have gained a top-class portfolio of retail accounts there. In 2005, Ireland exported 260,000 tonnes to the UK and 192,000 tonnes to continental EU countries which together represents in excess of 90% of our total beef exports. Based on performance to date in 2006 and current predictions for the remainder of the year, export volumes are expected to be up 5% overall on last year, with up to half of these exports going to the continental EU market.

Our aim is to consolidate our position in the EU market. Bord Bia is responsible for the promotion of our beef and I take every opportunity to support it in its efforts in this regard. Last September, I launched the board's "Irish Beef in Europe" autumn promotion campaign which was targeted at building sales of Irish beef in European supermarkets and establishing the "Irish Beef" brand firmly in the minds of consumers. This particular campaign involved on-pack promotions in 8,000 European stores which are frequented by 40 million shoppers every week. Feedback has been encouraging in terms of the improved demand in response to the promotion. Bord Bia, together with the meats exporters, is currently planning similar promotions for this year.