Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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380. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the figures for live cattle exports in 2015, by market; to explain the decline in many key markets; and his proposals for increasing live cattle exports. [1043/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Live exports serve a vital purpose as a means of satisfying market demand for live animals and providing essential alternative market outlets for Irish cattle farmers. I have always attached major importance to the live cattle export trade, and my Department, along with Bord Bia, has been extremely proactive during my time as Minister in both encouraging and facilitating shipments abroad and the cross border live trade to Northern Ireland.

In 2015, Ireland exported live cattle to eighteen different countries and the total figure for live cattle exports stands at just over 178,500 head. Our most important markets in 2015 were the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Spain, Italy, Britain and France. Full details of exports are set out below. The Dutch calf market in particular has seen sharp growth, with almost 44,000 calves sent there in 2015 as opposed to 39,000 head in 2014. IBR restrictions and geopolitical instability have impeded previously large-scale exports to Belgium and North Africa respectively.

Trade to Northern Ireland has improved sharply. The total figure for the year stands at 55,000 head. It should be noted that the weaker euro has been creating more favourable conditions for live exporters. Currency fluctuations are one of the major factors in determining the relative economic attractiveness of Irish exports to the United Kingdom.

Improved domestic demand and a tightening supply led, in 2015, to a situation where producers received the best prices on record at marts. This internal demand is also a significant factor in the overall drop in live exports in 2015 compared to 2014 and is indicative of the generally positive trends that were present in the beef sector in 2015.

As the Deputy will be aware, Ireland has in place a good system of transport links to facilitate live exports with the highest standards of animal welfare being at the forefront of procedures for approving transportation options.There are currently three dedicated vessels, the MV Express 1, the MV Atlantic M and the MV Holstein Express approved for the carriage of livestock by sea from Irish ports. Two roll-on roll-off vessels are approved for transport to the UK, and one to the France. Three other vessels are currently at various stages of the necessary processes for approval for carriage of livestock abroad.

As of the week ending December 20, the following totals of cattle of all ages had been exported from Ireland;