Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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283. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the significant and growing divergence, amounting to €364 million in 2013 between Bord Bia and the official CSO statistics on beef exports both in term of value and volume in view of the importance of reliable statistics for beef exports in terms of trade, GDP, farming incomes and public policy generally; his further views on this unacceptable statistical uncertainty; if in view of the ongoing dispute between Irish beef farmers and processors regarding the gap between Irish and UK beef prices he will confirm whether he has full confidence in the Bord Bia data both on the volume and value of beef exports to the UK; the action he and the Department have taken to date to reconcile the unprecedented divergences in Ireland's food exports as published by the two State bodies; if the Bord Bia data on exports prove to be unreliable if he will correct the record of Dáil Éireann of 8 February 2014 when he informed Dáil Éireann that the value of Irish beef exports was estimated at €2.1 billion in 2013 whereas the comparable official CSO figure is €1.73 billion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46216/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The CSO Goods Exports statistics are a combination of Customs-based non-EU trade statistics and data from Intrastat. The Intrastat system has two components. Firstly, the Intrastat survey (conducted by the Revenue Commissioners), in which traders, above the Intrastat survey trade thresholds, make detailed monthly returns giving information on the quantity and value of all exports to or imports from EU countries. The second component is the regular VAT return, on which all traders are required to record the total value of goods imported from and exported to other EU countries. This information provides the basis for determining total EU trade for those traders below the Intrastat survey thresholds and is also used to maintain the register of EU traders. The Bord Bia Export Performance and Prospects published in January 2014 included an estimated value of €2.1 billion for beef exports in 2013. Their current estimate based on updated information is €2.045 billion. The method used by Bord Bia is based on using production data, import figures and consumption data to derive an estimate of beef available for export, and then applying to the beef carcase weight equivalent the percentage change in average cattle prices reported to my Department. It has not changed in recent years.

Bord Bia has been in regular contact with the Central Statistics Office and discussions with a view to aligning the methodologies used more closely will continue.